Threads of Fate
by Chikita
Summary: The Seishi have been reincarnated. Nothing seems to go right for any one. In the midst of the struggle for the Seishi to make life normal, Tenkou is on the move. A new Miko is in the shadows and the worlds are about to crumble. Chapter 45 uploaded.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: I don't own any of the lyrics quotes or the characters except the original characters, which are far and few between. I realise after reading Genbu Kaiden that any of the Genbu Seishi I have appear here will not be consistent with the canon story. This is because I wrote most of this before I ever read that series and it's too late to change anything. Any Genbu character appearing post-chapter 39 for the first time will be more accurate than the others are at this time.

I also advise anyone with a weak stomach not to read this. It's got many graphic parts and it's suited for mature audiences.

I wish for my readers to note that there is now a 4-part prologue, spanning chapters 1-4. Everything else is the same from chapter 5 and onward. I had wrote this prologue as an afterthought because I started to add stuff to the story without justification. This will hopefully explain everything.

* * *

**Glimpse Into the Past: Part 1**

_Believe it or not, everyone have things that they hide  
Believe it or not, everyone keeps most things inside  
Believe it or not, everyone, believe in something above  
Believe it or not, everyone, need to feel loved_

(_Believe It or Not_, The Long Road, Nickelback)

She tossed around in her sleep.

She kept seeing his face; the face of a young boy, to whom she had meant the world.

She kept seeing his face; the soft smile as he tried to become her friend.

And yet…she pushed him away. In her wake and in her sleep, her heart was heavy with regret for what she had done. She had lost her best friend to a stupid senseless rivalry and lost another one because she had refused to let him come close to her.

The only moment she didn't regret was the few moments before the summoning in which he held her close, whispering comforting words of reassurance into her ear, telling her that it would be all right and that he would hold her gently until she was no longer shaking and felt better.

It had been the first time she had felt comfortable in a long time and in a warm embrace, but now she had lost it all.

She got back her best friend, but she knew she had to work to prove herself loyal again, despite what her friend kept saying.

Waving her hand in front of her best friend's face, Yuuki Miaka aggressively snapped her fingers at her best friend. "Yui-chan? Yui-chan!" It was obvious her friend was not paying attention.

Shaking her head, Hongou Yui gaze up from her notebook, on which she had been tapping her pen, staring absently at the page, as the friends sat in the school library, preparing for upcoming entrance exams. The first exam was for Jonan Academy and it was in the coming weeks.

"Uh…yes?"

"You're spacing out and you're supposed to be helping me with English!" Miaka plaintively wailed, giving her best simpering gaze, accompanied by shimmering puppy eyes.

Yui winced. She hated it when Miaka did this. She sighed and relented. "Fine… Let's start with present tense verbs."

"Verbs? But I hate verbs! I can't even stand Japanese verbs!" Miaka whined. She hated studying, but she wanted to get into a good school. She wanted to make her mother happy and if it meant studying until she was blue in the face, then so be it.

Growling softly, Yui cast a long deathly gaze at Miaka. "You're the one who wanted my help with English!"

"Well, I do! But I didn't need you to space out."

"I wasn't spacing out! I… I was in deep contemplation."

"Oh yeah? What're you thinking about?" Miaka purred, as she leaned in, knowing that it would be good, since Yui never spaced out.

Cocking a sceptical eyebrow at Miaka, she shrugged and offered something of a monosyllabic grunt.

Poking her friend, Miaka inquired, "you're thinking about Tetsuya-san, aren't you?"

Yui stared at her, appalled. "Miaka! I've only known him a few days! And at that, I'm not sure if I'd want to date him anyway. He's a little too old for me. I mean, he's as old as Keisuke."

"So?" Miaka pressed.

"So? So?" Yui exclaimed shocked.

"So, what difference does five years make? Oniichan is only twenty years old…" Miaka replied, as she inattentively doodled on the page.

Groaning, Yui stood up, closing her books. "I'm not going to discuss this further, and it's getting late. I told Okaasan I'd make supper."

"You're making supper?" Miaka's eyes glazed over dreamily. "Can I come?"

"Don't you have to be home for supper?" Yui asked as she placed her books in her bag.

Miaka moaned softly. "But Oniichan is cooking tonight and I hate it when he cooks!"

Yui smirked. "Because he has the same cooking skills as you?"

Miaka pouted and wordlessly put her books in her school bag.

She followed Yui out of the school.

As they walked along the side walk to the bus stop at the nearest main intersection, Miaka's gaze travelled side ways over to a street lamp that flickered on, as the sun set to the west. She blinked, noticing a figure standing underneath the flickering amber light.

She peered closely. 'What the…?'

She tapped Yui on the shoulder. "Look over there!" She pointed. "Is it me or…"

"What?" Yui cast a cursory glance to where Miaka was pointing, but as she glanced over, the young man standing there that caught Miaka's attention seemed to vanish into thin air.

"What am I supposed to be seeing?"

"Uh…he was there a minute ago…"

"Seeing Tamahome again?"

"No… It was…it looked like Suboshi."

"But you told me he died."

"I thought so too!"

Rolling her eyes, Yui turned her gaze back ahead, not believing Miaka. But yet, she couldn't shake the feeling. She remembered Miaka's recount of Suboshi's death, so him being alive was not possible. The gods weren't that kind. They were after all, gods, and being gods, they often didn't listen to the smallest and humblest of wishes.

The rode in silence.

Miaka kept gazing around as though looking for someone, but stopped upon confirming that it had been all in her head, and bidding her friend a good evening, she pulled the cord for her stop and stepping off the bus as it ground to a halt at her stop, she pranced down the steps, bumping into her brother.

"Oniichan!"

Yuuki Keisuke smiled. "Staying late and studying?"

"Yeah…"

He nodded and stretched back as the siblings wandered towards their home.

"Oniichan…you mentioned the new guy at the history club?"

"Yeah, the reticent guy who never says a thing."

"You said he knows Shijin Tenchisho…?"

"Yeah, I thought it was odd."

"Because I think, I saw who might've been Suboshi. He had been standing outside of the school, but when I tried to tell Yui-chan, and looked back, he was gone."

Keisuke's brow furrowed. "I can't say for sure. Neither Tetsuya nor I have ever seen the guy. We don't even know his name. The only thing we know about him, besides him being a linguistics major is that he is multi-lingual."

Taking out his key, he inserted it into the keyhole unlocking the door. He let Miaka walk ahead of him.

Taking off her shoes, she peered over at him. "But if he knows so much…"

"Anything is possible Miaka."

Musing to herself for a moment, she turned to him. "Do you know his time table?"

"Miaka, forget about it. The guy is an anti-social bastard, whose favourite pastime is pissing off Tetsuya."

She scowled. She was determined to find out who the new guy was. If it was who she thought it was, maybe she could get him to help pull Yui out of her moody slump.

Walking to the kitchen, Keisuke paused at the door. "Oh and if you speak to Yui tonight, can you tell her Tetsuya wants to talk to her? He's interested in dating her."

Miaka shrugged. She didn't mind her brother's best friend. She just didn't believe that Tetsuya was the right guy for Yui.

She waited until Keisuke had gone into the kitchen to prepare supper, before she slipped into his room and began to rifle through his binder, in search of either his time table or some sort of information regarding the history club. She was not about to give up easily. If it was indeed Suboshi, then there had to be a chance that Tamahome was also around.

'But, he died…so…why?' she wondered as she continued to search.

She paused as she pulled out a page from her brother's binder about Buddhist beliefs and scanning it, gasped, as she read the passage about reincarnation.

It dawned on her suddenly. 'If I'm seeing him, it's not him, but possibly his reincarnation! The book was closed after Nakago died! The others had been sent back! So, it can only mean that they were reincarnated into this world…'

Hastily she replaced the page back into her brother's binder as she heard him calling for supper.

Two young men sat in a room with a dim light. The majority of their light was the deep rich light of the twilight as the sun regressed over the city's horizon.

One of the two sat at the back, his back to the window. The other, sat just to the side.

They were alone, as the third member was absent due to a head cold that had been going around campus and other schools and workplaces in the city.

Absently, Keisuke reached into the small fridge and pulled out a can of domestic beer. He popped the top and placed his on the table. He would've offered one to his companion, but the guy had made it clear he drank only Danish, German and Irish beer.

Passing Tenchisho back, the guy, who had been at the history club for the last few months, offered up something of a monosyllabic grunt, as Keisuke gazed at him curiously, hoping for something of a less than uninformative response.

"If you're going to stay here, the least you could do is tell me your name, guy."

The young man grunted. "I see no point in that."

"You've been here since the start of the semester and you've barely said anything and all you do is grunt!"

"I don't see a problem with that."

"I've given you my name!"

"I know you have Keisuke." The young man replied, a coy smirk tugging playfully at his lips. "Though unlike your sister, you don't know when to give up. You have the manners of bacteria."

Keisuke glared at him, and the young man smirked.

"If you want me to talk, I'll talk, Keisuke, but it won't be nice. You will hear what I want you to hear and it won't be nice, because, I'll shatter the reality of everything you've ever believed in. After all, your beliefs are worthless. You worship a litany of false gods and are a sinner; unbaptised."

Keisuke bristled. The guy was not only reticent; he was also an incredible asshole!

"Look here! I don't know what you think you are, but you have no right to say that kind of thing about me!"

"I'll say whatever I damn well please. You were always just fifth business; the fourth estate. You never were a true player."

"What the hell does that mean?"

The young man stood up and reached up where the light hung over head.

"I unscrewed this light bulb when I came here. But you're quite persistent. You want to know who I am…so, I'll tell you." He replied icily. "Though it does confirm one thing."

"What?"

"Suzaku no Miko knows how to keep a secret…especially when she gets what she wants."

Chills ran down Keisuke's spine. The voice drilled deeply into his soul.

His eyes shot up as the young man finished screwing in the light bulb.

The light flickered on meekly.

"You wanted to know the truth, well, now you do…and, the consequences are deadly…especially for Tetsuya should he incur my ire."

Keisuke was at a loss for words as he stared in horrified shock at the young man. "Suboshi…"

"Well, see, you know my name, or at least my alias."

"But…but…didn't you…"

"Suicide only works once."

It had been a few days since he had spoken to Keisuke face to face.

It was a bright day out, and he was currently on his work shift at the campus café, when the manager approached him.

"O'Kelly, there's a new guy here. He's starting here today. Help him out." The manager, Souma, said sternly, as he moved in order for the young man to step forward.

Shannon O'Kelly, alias, Suboshi, bristled, his expression darkening as he laid sights on the new guy.

The new guy held out his hand and smiled warmly. "Hi, I'm Sukanami Taka,"

Shannon sceptically regarded Taka (or rather, to him, Tamahome) with a hint of irritation to his expression.

He reluctantly held out his hand. "O'Kelly Shannon." He replied coldly before he picked up the tray and headed out to the front patio.

It wasn't busy at the moment, so placing the order down on the table; he sat adjacent to the young woman who had placed the order.

She leaned forward and smiled. "I didn't even have to remind you!"

Shannon shrugged. "You're a shameless glutton, but at least you're consistent."

Miaka nodded as she shoved food in her mouth.

Smirking, he remarked, as he stared up. "I'd never thought I'd be sitting with a former enemy and on good terms."

She tried to reply but her words were muffled by the food stuffed in her mouth.

He shook his head. "Either eat or talk…" he paused for a moment and leaned forward. "Your brother is a pain in the ass…"

She gazed up. "Oniichan is only concerned…though you did kind of freak him out, Su...—Shannon." Even after all those months, she was still having a hard time remembering his new name. Of course, it didn't help that it was polysyllabic and that it had unfamiliar combinations of characters.

Her expression grew sombre. "And you know he's really concerned about what'd happen if Tetsuya-san ever found you out…"

Shannon arched an eyebrow.

"You see…Tetsuya-san, while he's nice, is very jealous. I know he hated seeing guys looking a certain way at Yui-chan, even before they were dating." Miaka mused softly, as she sipped the tea.

It pained him every time Miaka would mention Yui's name.

Her face flashed before his eyes and his heart felt heavy with remorseful regret. He longed for her. He knew that his memories were delusions and his dreams were more than dreams. He had confirmed this when he met his twin brother for the first time.

He closed his eyes, feeling greatly discomforted at the mention of Yui's name.

To him, she was the embodiment of everything he loved, but, he knew deep within the depths of his soul, she hated him with a passion.

Miaka leaned in. "Shannon, are you ok? You react in the same strange manner every time I mention Yui-chan's name."

He sighed. "Miaka…it's…well… It's not that my feelings for her have changed…it's…it's…" he shook his head, his voice cracking ever slightly. "I… It hurts me deeply every time I hear her name because I have only two good memories of her; the first time I felt fine after Koutoku died and the second at the summoning. Every other time, I felt her seething hatred of me. She was probably happy when I died…"

Miaka glared at him. Pounding her fists on the table, she stood up, leaning forward aggressively. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself! She doesn't hate you, and even if she did, she was never happy about any of her Seishi dying, least of all you!"

Shannon snorted derisively. As sincere as Miaka was, he believed that she was just being a true friend to Yui and covering for her friend's shortcomings.

She reached over and grabbed him by the collar. "Listen to me and listen well – Yui-chan does not hate you! You're the only Seishi she misses! You were a friend to her when I couldn't be! Snap out of it, Suboshi!"

The new waiter, Taka, who was nearby hadn't heard any of the conversation and consequently found the girl's actions not only aggressive but unnecessarily violent. He also found it amusing that Shannon could sit there so calmly taking the girl's abuse.

Standing up, Shannon took Miaka's hands in his and removed them from his collar. "Ok, ok, I get it." He sighed. The girl really needed an antidote to her lack thereof Tamahome in her life…

He smirked as he laid eyes on Taka, who turned away, creep out by the evil mirth dancing in his colleague's eyes. 'The guy doesn't have his memories, but his chi is very clear… He is indeed the reincarnation of Tamahome.'

Miaka folded her arms over her chest. "You know…it would make Yui feel better if…"

"If you could date Tamahome."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

He leaned on her, a soft amused chuckle escaping him. "Look over there. That guy, Sukanami Taka, my new colleague, is not just any asshole. He is Tamahome. His chi signature is the same as before. There is only one problem…"

"Oh?" Miaka had quickly forgotten about bringing Shannon to meet Yui.

"He doesn't have his memories. He was very friendly when he greeted me, though I'll have to see when we're alone, though, I do believe he does lack the memories because when I looked into his eyes, searching for signs of Tamahome, I found that he wasn't glaring at me with the same familiar contempt…"

"So, he doesn't remember…" she remarked sadly.

Shannon smirked. "I don't think that's such a problem. I'm sure you'd spark something in him that'd make him remember…."

Miaka smiled softly and nodded. She had never thought she'd be friends with a former enemy, especially one that tried to kill her. It was obvious he'd change.

"Oi! O'Kelly! Isn't your break over? Stop getting chummy with your girlfriend." Taka remarked simply, brushed past carrying a tray of dirty dishes in.

Glaring at Taka's back, he retorted, "she isn't my girlfriend! For one thing, she's not my type and secondly, she's a bloody minor!"

Shaking his head, he ruffled Miaka's hair. "I got to go…my new colleague's being anal." He winked. "Don't worry; I'll work him over for you."

"Uh…no brass knuckles please…" Miaka snickered, as she watched him playfully punched his fist into the palm of his other hand.

"I save those for the Protestants."

Miaka laughed uneasily. That was the one thing she didn't feel comfortable with – the fact that Shannon had no problem with taking another human's life over religion. It scared her, but, yet, she didn't feel scared by his presence.

Picking up her bag, she waved as she prepared to leave, but stopped. Placing it down, she ran over, narrowly missing tripping over a loose tile.

"I forgot…"

"Hmn?" he looked up from the dishes he was cleaning.

"Can you help me with English tonight?"

"Doesn't…she help you with it?"

"Yui-chan is ok with English, but you speak it as your first language."

"Uh…actually…"

Miaka blinked at him sweetly. "Yes?"

"My first language is Gaelic."

She blinked perplexedly.

"It's spoken in Ireland."

"Then English is your…"

"Fourth language."

"Fourth?"

"After German and Latin."

"Isn't Latin a dead language?"

He shrugged.

"So that makes Japanese…"

"My fifth language."

She smiled sweetly. "How fluent are you?"

"Very…"

"You're familiar with Kanji?"

"Very. I speak and write Mandarin."

"Then you'll also help me with my Japanese homework? Sensei is going to fail me if I can't learn more Kanji." Miaka wailed.

Shannon laughed evilly. "You're relying on a guy who doesn't speak Japanese as his first language to help you with more than English homework? Fine…just as long as I don't have to help you with science."

"HA! You're lucky, that's my good subject! Even Yui-chan doesn't have to tutor me there! I enjoy it!" Miaka declared gleefully then added, "only because there are labs and its hands on. I hate classes where Sensei just blathers."

Shannon groaned. He had already been tutoring her in math. He didn't need to help her with yet more homework. At this rate he'd never get his own done, or even be able to do any work for his lucrative position in the Interpol (they knew better than to try and put him behind bars – paying him was one way to get his cooperation).

Miaka smiled brightly. "Great! I'll be at your loft at the usual time tonight!"

He nodded and feebly waved.

Turning, he crashed right into Taka, who smirked at him and sneered, "study session? Let's be realistic – two of you alone in your apartment spells steamy passion and you can't deny it!"

Growling softly, Shannon seethed, "Sukanami, she isn't my girlfriend! I have no interest in girls!"

"Flaming homosexual, eh…"

"No interest in guys either."

"Aw, I don't turn you on even the slightest..." Taka remarked with biting sarcasm.

'Must resist the urge…must resist the urge…' the vein in his forehead pulsated as he suppressed the urge he was feeling to deck Taka.

Placing down the tray of dishes he had just cleaned, he rested an arm on Shannon's shoulder. "Level with me, O'Kelly, do you honestly have no feelings for her? There was a kind of passion between you two."

"No I don't." Shannon replied icily. "And even if I had any, they'd be brotherly. She's a kid still. Granted she has a nice body, but she's a kid, Sukanami!"

"C'mon, you can't be more than sixteen, seventeen…"

"I'm twenty."

"She is…"

"Fifteen last I checked."

"It's not that big of a difference and the way she was looking at you…"

"Sukanami, she was never looking at me. She was looking at someone else."

Taka arched an eyebrow.

"She was looking at you."

Taka blinked and laughed uproariously. "That's rich! Then again…I do have it working for me." He boosted arrogantly.

Shannon groaned. 'What the hell did Miaka ever see in this asshole?'

Smugly, Taka added, "and even if she is, why would I be interested in her. She's an underdeveloped squealing schoolgirl. She's not my type and that dumpling hairstyle is so unoriginal.

"The next time you see her; tell her not to look at me. I'm not interested in her."

Shannon bristled; anger pumping through his blood. 'If I wasn't so intent in repenting for my previous actions and feeling regret and remorse for killing your family in cold blood, I'd murder you right now! I can't believe I was prepared to offer you peace! You may not have your memories, but now I have not only this but the past as well…'

He didn't know if he could stand being around Taka and slipped out the back after faking a headache to the manager.

His body shook with seething anger. He couldn't shake Taka's words from his head. They bored into the depths of his soul. He felt close to Miaka, and was thankful she hadn't heard an iota of those cold words. But, he felt badly for her nonetheless.

'How can he be such an asshole? That is not the guy Miaka longs for! I'm a better guy that Taka and I'm royally fucked up beyond repair!' He thought bitterly, as he gazed up, realising that he was standing in front of the history club room.

He peered in and blinked. Opening the door, he walked over and picked up Shijin Tenchisho, but dropped it right away. It burnt his hand.

'What the…' He wondered, gazing at the glowing book.

The red light that had been emitting from it broke sudden, the symbols of the seven Suzaku Seishi shattering in thin air.

He thought he was hearing a faint deep voice reciting something of a deep incantation.

He again reached for it, but a green light glowed and he watched as the process repeated itself and then again for a white light.

He reached but then paused. No light was shining through.

Hesitantly he picked it up and a blue light burst from it, but he didn't feel compelled to drop it. He could clearly hear the voice of the magician.

'This person is trying to destroy the four pillars; the gates of the four gods! It's going to destroy Seiryuu! It's going to hurt the priestesses! I can't let it take the last one! God! Don't let evil do what Nakago and Miboshi failed to do! Give me the power to stop this!'

He opened it up, the blue light jumping out.

The light then floated in front of him and materialised in the form of a rosary. The beads were a deep rich velvet blue. The tassel on the end was a soft gold and the cross was silver. The rosary then landed in his hand.

The rosary ceased glowing and the light retreated into the book and it closed itself.

Staring at the rosary, he moved it through his fingers before placing it into his pocket.

He then picked up the book and flipped through the pages. The text was blacked out; all parts of it, except that which pertained to Seiryuu.

'Something is trying to destroy the whole world, but they're failing and only now Seiryuu remains…' He pulled the rosary out of his pocket. 'Could it be? Could it be that they've finally started to get their act together?'

He twisted it in his hands. 'But that means that if the other three are down; the others have their power, but are weakened! They won't be able to fight; leaving only the Seiryuu Seishi as the only potential fighters. And only…and only…'

He winced. 'Yui would be able to summon the god to undo this…'


	2. Chapter 2

Glimpse Into the Past: Part 2

**Glimpse Into the Past: Part 2**

_Believe it or not, everyone have things that they hide  
Believe it or not, everyone keeps most things inside  
Believe it or not, everyone, believe in something above  
Believe it or not, everyone, need to feel loved_

(_Believe It or Not_, The Long Road, Nickelback)

Dramatically throwing her arm over her head, she bemoaned. "You're standing me up again, and for what, a study date with some guy! I'm hurt, I'm truly hurt, Miaka! Do I not mean anything to you…? All those hours lovingly…"

Growling, Miaka reached across the table and knocked Yui out of her chair.

Yui winked and giggled. "You know I kid."

Miaka smiled and nodded. Popping the tab on her can of pop, she took a long sip before she put it down, turning to Yui. They were out getting a snack after school.

Yui smirked. "So, Miaka, is this guy…you know…a certain someone?"

Miaka blushed. "No way! If I was that lucky, I'd be telling you!"

"Then why is this such secret? Having an affair with a sexy guy and you're not sharing him with the rest of us?" Yui purred evilly.

Miaka turned a deeper shade of red. 'I couldn't ever think of Shannon like that! He's a friend!'

She laughed uneasily and ran her fingers through her hair. "Yui-chan, what ever gave you that idea? Shannon's just a friend of mine."

"Now we're into foreign guys, are we?" Yui replied her tone gleefully wicked.

"YUI-CHAN!!" Miaka whined. She hated when her friend was doing this.

She leaned forward. "If you must know, he isn't Tamahome! Tamahome is Sukanami Taka, a work colleague of…" She had to think of a name. It then clicked, "Kai, who is…who…"

She paused. She couldn't tell Yui! He had sworn her to secrecy. But Shannon hadn't sworn her to secrecy over his birth name.

"Yes?"

"Is a really sexy German exchange student!"

Yui took a sip through her straw an sagely remarked. "Miaka…you're lying. You're a terrible liar."

"I am not!"

"His name isn't German."

"Yes it is! And he's from Berlin."

Yui's eyes glowed devilishly. "So, he's a sexy German exchange student…what does he look like?"

"Blue eyes, dirty blond hair…" Miaka replied then shook her head. "It doesn't matter! What does matter is that I'm doing better in English!"

"I was wondering about that seventy-four percent on your last test considering you didn't study with me for the three days before hand." Yui replied nonchalantly and reached into her bag and pulled out her Kanji test, and sighed. "Does he tutor in anything else?"

Miaka peered over and groaned. "Yui-chan! Eighty-nine is good!"

"But it could've been perfect." She whined and poked Miaka. "What did you get?"

Fishing out her paper, Miaka handed it over, and Yui's eyes bulged out. "How the hell did you get a better mark than me? You never get a better mark than me in anything except physical education!"

"He's also fluent in Japanese."

Yui growled softly. "And you're not bringing him over to help me as well?"

Shaking her head, Miaka conceded, "he is only helping me because I'm a friend…"

"And a real friend would bring over her sexy German tutor so that he can help both of them…" Yui purred sweetly, as she coyly pushed her desert Miaka's way.

Groaning, Miaka fought the lustful temptation to take the food and agree to talk to him in order to allow Yui to come along…

Yui grinned. "C'mon, Miaka, you know you want it…and all you got to do is tell your friend that he has to help me as well…it's a fair trade…"

"Uh…uh…" Miaka really wanted that dessert.

Gazing up, as Yui bent over to replace her test papers in her bag; Miaka stood up and waved over at a friend of hers, who turned and went to walk over, but stopped as Yui came back up.

Scowling, Miaka strolled over and intercepted his retreat.

"Come sit with us."

"No fucking way! She's sitting there."

"She has a name!'

"Well, I don't have to fucking call her by her name if I don't have to!"

"Stop denying the past!"

"I'll fucking deny it all I want!"

Arching an eyebrow, Yui watched as Miaka argued with a really tall young man. She couldn't tell much about him. He had dark sunglasses on and wore a bandanna that covered all his hair. In fact, he was covered from head to toe. His face was the only thing not covered.

He wore faded blue jeans, with a white button up shirt that wasn't tucked in, over which he wore a long leather black vest. His hands were covered with fingerless gloves and his bandanna was a deep raven black.

Wanting to hear what they were arguing over, Yui got up and tried to move closer when neither were looking her way.

She stopped when she got closer.

He issued a wide sweeping gesture. "And come hell or high water, I'm going to fucking talk to her! Miaka, I don't care! You can beg all you want!"

He paused and took a deep breath. "What will it take you get you to drop this?"

"Nothing!"

"What if I worked over Taka for you?"

Miaka gazed away. "But…didn't he make it clear he didn't care for me…"

"That's because he doesn't know you..." he smirked. "Give it a chance and a couple of weeks and he'll be his on the condition that you keep my secret and never tell anyone."

Yui, who was still listening, folded her arms and glared at the young man. He certainly was an obstinate one. That and rather boorish.

Miaka inclined her heard and pursed her lips, as Shannon wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "And you know you want to agree."

Bring his mouth close, he whispered into her ear. "You long for Tamahome, don't you? You want him. Why deny your heart."

Sighing softly, Miaka folded her hands. "Well…you do make a good point…" She turned her gaze to Yui. "Sorry…"

Bristling, Yui stormed over and pointed a finger at Miaka's friend's nose. "YOU!"

A horrified expression crossed his face, and his dark shades hid the terror in his eyes. His heart sunk. She truly hated him! He knew it had been true, despite all the sincere and well-meant reassurances from Miaka that Yui didn't.

"You could be charitable and help out your girlfriend's friend…" Yui replied, her tone instantly becoming sweet. "If you can help her get good marks, you're some kind of miracle worker."

He blinked. 'She doesn't recognise me?'

He shook his head in disagreement to her request. "Tough shit, kid. I'm only tutoring Miaka." He turned and headed for the door, his take out order in hand. "And Miaka…you have a key right? Come over after supper. I probably won't hear you knock."

Yui waited until he left and exclaimed, "He gave you a key to his apartment?"

Pulling it out, Miaka grinned sheepishly and held it up.

Grunting indignantly, Yui folded her arms over her chest. "He's not sexy you know!"

"He's…he's just very sensitive about his body…" Miaka replied slowly, not wanting to give away too much. "He dresses in way less when he's at home."

"You like him, don't you?" Yui remarked softly.

Miaka blanched. Shannon was her friend! She could never think of him in such a way even if she thought was moderately good looking. "Yui-chan! Yes, I like him, but as a friend!"

Walking back over to their table, Yui picked up both bags.

She turned back and walking back over to Miaka, she handed her friend the other school bag.

Thanking Yui, Miaka pushed the door open and walked out, Yui following behind her.

Yui sighed morosely. "Miaka…"

"Yes?"

"Is it wrong of me to daydream about another guy even though I've started to date Tetsuya-san?"

"Yui-chan…"

She laughed softly. "Of course it is, who am I kidding..." she paused and again sighed. "But I can't help myself. I'm having more and more dreams about him every night. I can't get him out of my head. I keep wondering what would have happened if I could've told him that I didn't hate him…that I liked him a lot; that he meant a lot to me as a friend when I felt like I had no one else."

"You don't mean…"

"I know it's silly… I had Nakago as my supposed supporter, but my real backbone in that time was Suboshi and I took him for granted, and now I'm being haunted by those memories. I wish…I wish that I could take back what I did. But I can't… I can only hope that one day I can apologise.

"Miaka…you know Tamahome's been reincarnated; you've said so yourself. Do you think there is a chance that Suboshi is?"

"Why not."

Yui paused and gazed cautiously at her friend. "You were the first to know that Tamahome was… If you were the first to know that Suboshi was, would you tell me?"

'It's a loaded question!' Miaka groaned to herself. If she answered one way, she'd have to break her promise to Shannon. However, if she lied to Yui, she'd hurt her. She bit her lip.

"Well…it depends. If I can confirm it is him and he doesn't try to kill me than yes I'd tell you."

Pulling his glasses off, he rubbed the bridge of his nose, as he watched the computer screen, absently driving his car through Vice City as he shot up some gang members and stole their stash of cocaine in order to bring it to the dealer, as he listened to a colleague blither senseless excuses at him for blundering incompetence.

He wasn't in the mood to be speaking to anyone, let alone speaking to someone in a foreign language.

"Yeah, so…you didn't find it? SHIT! Drive you fucking son of a bitch, drive!" The young man muttered as he cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder in the nook of his neck.

The computer beeped at him as his car exploded and the message: WASTED popped up in the middle of the screen. Black billows of smoke and red flames shot up from the car and the lights of the sirens flashed on the screen.

"Damnit! I was so close!"

A deep growl emitted from the listener. "Anderson, put your bloody game away and listen to me! Bartecelli and I didn't have to come to Tokyo in search of that book, but we did! Now, listen! We didn't find it. But what we did find was..."

"A litany of fucking excuses. Tereshkova, I'm not in the mood to pander to your incompetence." He replied. "Further, I'm sure you and Bartecelli could've found it, you're just being ridiculous."

"We didn't! We searched all the libraries including the National Library of Japan and school libraries."

"And you got nothing?"

"The only clue we got is that there is another Seishi in the city."

"Oh?"

"Bartecelli thought he recognized the chi, but he said it was too well concealed to diffuse the owner. I couldn't even detect it. The only conclusion I can draw from that is that, based on his theory, the Seishi is likely Miboshi or Nakago."

"I doubt it."

"Why?"

"Because I know a Seishi there and he says that he hasn't found any others except for one Suzaku Seishi."

"Great! Do you have any information on him?"

"Excuse me?"

"We need his name and address so we can swoop down and grab the details we need."

"Why are you assuming that this guy speaks Russian or Italian?"

"Well, if you're friends with this guy, then he likely does."

"Tereshkova, you're a moron." He replied as he reloaded his game. He thought for a moment, he could turn away and he could get his colleague off the phone, but it wasn't helping and he had stash to pick up and deliver!

"Anderson, can you just give me the information. You wanted us to get Shijin Tenchisho and so maybe this guy can help."

"He'll tear you a new ass. He hates people."

"Then I guess we'll just have to use a little force."

"And you'll wind up dead."

"This guy can't be anything special. There was a faint chi at best."

"Ok, get this into your thick Russian skull – that guy is no ordinary guy. It's my brother and he hates people and there is no way he'd help you. He hates the Suzaku Seishi and he hates Tomo's guts. Hell, he killed Tomo before."

"C'mon, it's Suboshi; he can't fight for shit."

"I'd beg to differ. But, it's your loss if you try and fight him. He's a wanted man in Ireland and there is no way they're going to catch him. And he's only wanted on suspected charges because they have no idea and no way to prove that he actually did it without interrogation and such. He leaves no trail and he can kill a man without using his hands or a weapon. You don't want to fuck with him."

"Anderson, I'm ordering you to divulge that information!"

"Fuck you, Tereshkova! You know what – I hate working with you and Bartecelli! Tell him I'm not translating and you're going to have to find another translator. In fact, tell him that even if I find the book, I'm not handing it over!'

With that, Jonathan slammed the phone down, and he went to resume his came when a request for a web-cam session popped up.

He knew that few people would send a request this late at night and it could only be…

Accepting, he picked up the headset next to him and placed it on.

"What good timing you have."

"Timing is nothing – I need some advice."

"You're asking me for advice?"

"Don't let it go to your head…"

As she placed the breakfast plates on the table, Mrs. Yuuki turned to her daughter. "Miaka, your report card came in the mail yesterday."

It was Saturday morning and the last thing on Miaka's mind was school. She hadn't checked her grades and had an awful feeling in her stomach as she stared dismally at her plate. 'Here it comes…' she winced in preparation.

"And I was not jumping for joy over the C's in some of your classes, but the marks in English and math are better than I expected. I know you always do well in education." Mrs. Yuuki remarked, as she placed the third plate down at her place, and took a seat.

Wordlessly, while their mother spoke, Keisuke shoved food into his mouth.

Smiling, Mrs Yuuki inquired. "You studied harder for English than usual, right?"

"Yep." Miaka declared with a wide grin. "I scored myself an English tutor!'

"I thought Yui-chan was tutoring you."

"No. I have a tutor from Tokyo University tutoring me in English."

"Well, the results are very unexpected."

Miaka paused for a moment. She had food in front of her and wasn't shovelling into mouth.

Placing her fork down, their mother asked, "Miaka, could you ask your tutor to come over. I'd like to meet her."

"Actually, it's a 'he'." She replied.

A look of concern caressed her mother's features. "A boy?"

"Don't worry, Okaasan! He's gay."

"Well, then…"

There was a moment of silence before Keisuke, who had been shovelling food into his feed hole piped up, "Okaasan, I'm not going to be home for supper. Tetsuya wants to go look for a book that went missing from the history room."

"Keisuke, is it too much to ask for you to be here? It would help. That way more than one of us can talk to Miaka's tutor. I'm going to be cooking."

"But this is an important document! If it fell into the wrong hands…"

"Keisuke, you're overreacting. Remember the pornography during both sets of entrance exams? Overreacting never did you any good. Put this book out of your mind and just be here tonight. The book won't do anything to anyone." She gazed up briefly. "Unless it contains explosives…"

"But…"

"Just be here."

Since his initial attempt to get Taka to express a form of interest in Miaka, Shannon found himself at wits end for the last few weeks. The guy was obstinate and refused to budge, making the task not only difficult but provided Shannon with little ammunition to distract Miaka from the issue of Yui and having her involved in the tutorial sessions.

It wasn't that he didn't like her; he still retained the strong feelings for her, but, he had grown disenchanted by the memories he had; the memories which over time twisted and morphed into a perverted version of their original form. His mind viewed her as hating him deeply, when all it was, was she didn't care for him at first and gradually grew to have no negative feelings for him.

He didn't see that; at least not now.

He was hurting and tormenting himself in his utter refusal to let her into his life for fear that he would be hurt. He was blinding himself with his unwarranted fears and Miaka's constant pressure wasn't helping in his internal struggle at all. She was pushing and pushing. She wasn't showing any signs of relenting in her crusade.

He was growing desperate. Every moment that she mentioned Yui's name, he felt a deep stab into the heart of his soul. The name tore his heart to shreds; the very sound of her name and the memory of her voice, scent, face – everything about her – tormented him. It came to him in every waking moment the name crossed Miaka's lips and now with the growing number of passing days, more and more so into his one world of retreat – the world of dreams and nightmares.

Of course, the advice he had received from his brother didn't help at all.

Americans were all a bunch of morons as far as he knew. 'It's not hereditary; it's contagious!'

This was after being told that maybe he ought to revisit his feelings and figure out exactly where he stood on this and perhaps even talk to the girl so hat he could see if his fears were true, and if…yada, yada, yada…

'Thank you, Dear Abbey!'

If he had wanted to hear that advice, he would've asked Miaka, and since he already knew the answer, he had no intentions of asking her for any advice on this matter because her answer was all the same.

It wasn't like he didn't already have enough problems with dealing with Miaka and her insistence to have him talk to Yui, he now had a feeling he was being followed everywhere he went.

'When I get my hands on them, I will show no mercy.' He thought, as he picked his helmet off the floor. He had to be at Miaka's house for supper. He wasn't looking forward to that, but he didn't feel right turning her down. He really couldn't say no to her unless it came to Yui.

Entering the underground parking, he cast a glance into the shadows and put his helmet down. Drawing his gun, he fired three times.

"This is your last fucking warning! Show yourselves!"

He wasn't sure what language they spoke, but given that this was Tokyo, it was fair game to assume they spoke Japanese. He detected more than one presence.

"Get out here, and next time I won't miss!"

"High strung, as always." A soft voice purred in Italian.

"What's it to you?" Shannon snarled in the same tongue, his gun steadily trained on the man. "Tomo…"

"Your memory seems to work." He replied.

Replacing his gun, Shannon glared at the shadow figure of 'Tomo' and pulling his hands apart, summoned the Ryuuseisui and not sending it on a direct course, walked over, while his weapon circled.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"I need to…" grunting gutturally 'Tomo' dropped to the ground, his hand covering a deep gash in his arm. "What the…."

"I'm not in the mood for your bullshit. Tell me what you want, or I'll run you through!"

He then ducked as a car went flying over his head.

"Leave Marius alone!" a feminine-sounding male voice boomed in Russian.

"Oh boy, let me guess – Nuriko the faggot cross-dresser?"

"HEY! I'm not a cross-dresser, I'm transgender!"

"So, what the fuck do you two assholes want, anyway?"

Groaning, the one called Marius, slumped against the wall. "We're looking for Shijin Tenchisho…"

"Forget it!" Shannon exclaimed, taking his machete, preparing to turn on 'Nuriko' who was coming up from behind. "There is no fucking way I'm giving to you! If you can't find it on your own time, then fuck you! There is no fucking way I'm going to give to you wankers!"

"Really?" Marius challenged, a soft smirk caressing his lips. He could see his colleague, Nuriko (or rather Josef) preparing to grab Shannon from behind.

"Yes, really." He replied and turned sharply, placing a hand on Josef's shoulder, driving the machete into Josef's side. "And nice try, but no one can even ambush me. You two are the most pathetic agents I've ever met. No wonder Jonathan thinks you guys are fucking incompetent."

He withdrew the knife from Josef's side. "Don't fuck with me unless you have a death wish."

Marius's eyes narrowed. "We tried to be diplomatic, but the time for diplomacy has passed…"

He stood up, his hand still trying to stop some of the blood flow from his wound. "If you're going to play dirty…" he pulled out his trusty shin.

"Illusions? How pathetic…" Shannon hissed, a cruel smirk twisting over his lips. He blinked and shattered the shin. "You don't get it, do you…no one can touch me. Not even Manley…"

Josef paled. Eugene Manley was the strongest reincarnation and no one could come close to him without meeting a certain death. "You're bluffing…" he groaned, a shot of pain searing through his body.

"Would I bluff?" Shannon retorted icily.

Marius sighed. "Josef…we're going to lose. He's too strong. He isn't bluffing. He is fighting without the use of his chi, and even Manley can't do that."

"No kidding… And it's a pity that Schwartz would use Manley, and he knows that he's outgunned with me on his bad side."

Josef took in a deep breath of air as he watched Shannon move into the light.

"Not only do I look like him, but I am his kid; we share the same ruthless disregard for human life when people stand in our way."

"Then Jonathan…"

"Is still my identical twin brother."

Shannon paused and walked over to where Josef was kneeling and kicked him in the stomach. "That's just a departing warning. I'm not going to take kindly to you two being in on my turf. While you're here, you play by my rules, you will pay."

Breezing by, he swept his helmet off the ground and mounted his bike after putting it on.

Gunning the engine, he roared out of the underground garage, leaving two severely men in his wake.

"Note to self – don't fuck with him…" Josef groaned pitifully. "Why did we have to wait down here? Wouldn't it have made sense not to take a Deep Throat approach to this?"

"How was I supposed to know he'd ambush us and get out without a scratch?" Marius retorted angrily. He wasn't at all pleased by the prospect that Suboshi was thus far the strongest of all the Seishi. It meant that not only were up against the growing cult, but they now had a new formidable enemy who had ties to one of their scouting targets.

"Shit… how were we supposed to know Schwartz had any children? Let alone, both Amiboshi and Suboshi as his children?"

Josef's eyes narrowed sagely. "You know, if Jonathan is indeed the brother of that guy who left, then, how do we know we're not being played for suckers? How do we know he won't use our findings for his own gains?"

"Excellent point…" Marius replied. He lay back. "First one to feel better helps the other out and we go get some medical help…"

"Check…" Josef gave into the welcoming blackness…


	3. Chapter 3

Glimpse Into the Past: Part 2

**Glimpse Into the Past: Part 3**

_Believe it or not, everyone have things that they hide  
Believe it or not, everyone keeps most things inside  
Believe it or not, everyone, believe in something above  
Believe it or not, everyone, need to feel loved_

(_Believe It or Not_, The Long Road, Nickelback)

Standing in the kitchen, the seductive aroma of good old fashion Japanese home-style food, ambushed his senses. His mind briefly focused on the scent that wafted through, latching onto his senses. It had been a while since he had been treated to home cooking. He was a decent chef himself, but nothing beat the homemade dish of any mother; mother's always had that special touch that everyone else lacked.

Picking up the wooden spoon, Mrs. Yuuki stirred the pot of rice, after checking on the vegetables and finely chopped pork that sizzled in her wok. After, she replaced the lid and turned back to Shannon, who had arrived about fifteen minutes previously.

She felt badly for leaving him alone in the living room and insisted that he come out to the kitchen to keep her company while she prepared supper, as Miaka was holed up doing her Meiji Era history homework.

Smoothing down her apron, she leaned against the counter, picking up her own cup of green tea and gently blew against the steaming contents. "So, Shannon-kun, tell me… why are you tutoring my daughter anyway?"

"I've known Miaka a while and I felt terrible for her when I saw her English marks and I figured I'd be of some help." Shannon shrugged as he sipped from his cup.

Nodding, she replied, "Miaka mentioned that you tutor other students…"

"Actually, I only help her. I never advertised to others. Many of them are snooty little brats who wouldn't take my help because I'm too much of a gaijin…" Shannon snorted derisively. "That and there are British students who offer 'better' services."

"Oh? Why where are you from…Germany?"

"Born in Germany, raised in Northern Ireland."

Pausing for a moment, she gazed at the contents of her cup and sighed. She turned her eyes back to him. "There is something I find disturbingly familiar about you…"

'Oh yeah…that…' Shannon thought, recalling the first time he had been here. Well, technically…

She shook her head. "Then again, it's probably just the imagination going wild. I had a long day at work; the hours eventually get to you."

Gazing up at the clock on the wall before picking up the wooden spoon, she scowled. "That son of mine is late! I told him that Tetsuya can go one night without his help."

She shook her head in disapproval, missing a glint of resent in Shannon's eyes.

Whether, he'd admit it or not he was particularly jealous of Tetsuya. Despite that, he couldn't ever imagine going face to face with Yui, not after seeing her eyes flaring angrily. Her eyes that day had spoken volumes (or rather, so he thought, as she hadn't figured out who he was) of her true feelings for him.

At precisely that moment, the door opened and Keisuke walked in. "Okaasan, I'm home." He called, as he took off his coat and shoes.

He ran his fingers through his hair as he walked by the kitchen.

"Keisuke, could you set the table please?" Mrs. Yuuki requested, and then gestured at Shannon. "And Keisuke, dear, this is Miaka's tutor O'Kelly Shannon…"

A twisted smirk crossed Shannon's lips as he held out a hand to shake Keisuke's.

Paling, Keisuke hesitantly reached out. He couldn't believe this. He had thought it was just the beer acting up that day. He didn't sincerely believe that it was Suboshi, but, the realisation sank in as he shook the young man's hand. The eyes spoke for what the mouth didn't say.

They left the kitchen, Keisuke in shock. He didn't know what to think.

Heck, he had no idea what to say.

The only thing Keisuke could manage was, "I thought Miaka said her tutor was German…"

Scornfully laughing, Shannon replied, "you're a thick one, aren't you? Just because I have an Irish name doesn't make me Irish! I'm German through and through."

"Uh….Shannon…" Keisuke wasn't sure if he should be scared or weird out. He took a step back. "Uh…why are you helping Miaka, anyway…I thought…"

"Oh, now you think? Are you sure Tetsuya is allowing this?" he sneered nastily.

Keisuke's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what your problem is, but, you're really starting to grind on my nerves. Starting Monday, I don't want you showing your face at the history club any more."

"Fine by me. But, you won't be getting Shijin Tenchisho back."

"Excuse me?"

"Either you're hard of hearing or really stupid. Do I need to repeat myself?"

"I preferred it when you were enemies with my sister, that way I knew what to expect!"

"Aw, isn't that a shame – you're jealous of the fact that I'm friends with her." Shannon smirked and added strictly for Keisuke's benefit, "and if Taka doesn't pick up his act, I just might make a play for her… so, don't think you've quite eradicated me from your life just yet…"

"You'd break up her and Taka just to spite me?" Keisuke growled angrily.

He shrugged. "Only if Taka doesn't take the bait. He's being quite difficult. I hate playing match-maker, but, Miaka likes him…"

"And you like my sister?"

"And I might do something about if Taka doesn't do anything." He paused. "Or…"

"Or what?" Keisuke felt his heart sink.

Shannon's eyes glinted mischievously. "I could always break-up Tetsuya and Yui…"

"But…but…they're happy! You'd take away the only happiness Yui knows? This is the first time I've seen her truly happy…" Keisuke whispered horrified that someone who supposedly cared so deeply about her would even suggest such a thing.

Shannon wasn't serious, but he did enjoy irking others, particularly those who had very strong reactions to the issues they felt deeply about. This did spark an idea in his head – if Keisuke was reacting like this, perhaps he could get something more out of Tetsuya. He didn't much care for the guy and now he would have ammunition for dealing with it.

It would be the last time it would cross his mind for a while. He was admittedly jealous, but he wasn't spiteful. He wouldn't go out of his way to hurt someone lest they made a point of trying to disrupt his life.

"Dear?" A soft-spoken German woman, in her middle ages, about forty-five, despite looking nothing her age, gently reached out for her husband. She held a cup of coffee for him, which she had set on the table. "Why didn't you try and call yet?"

"Heidi, you know the boy hates my guts and if he ever had the chance, he'd kill me with his bear hands." Her husband grumbled as he sat back in his plush office suite chair. He often worked long overtime hours on the weekend.

He reached for the coffee as she knelt next to him.

She rested a hand on his arm. "I know, but you say that and yet, the last time you were face to face with him, he didn't. He's not going to…" she sighed sadly.

"Even so, he'd never listen to me."

"Padráig does."

"And despite him being reasonable, even he can't get the boy to do anything."

"Then you should play into his hands. You hate how Thomas treats Albrecht. If you took the sensitive information that Thomas gives you and give it to Padráig, he could pass it to Kai. Kai wouldn't have to know, but if he found out, it'd make sense."

"At this point, it's easier just to fight him."

"Karl, I know you love both your sons, and you don't want to fight him. Just feed the information and…perhaps, play by his rules in the sense that you figure out what he's doing, botch information for Thomas then use Thomas's men when the time comes to push the odds in their favour. Play the insider…"

She reached and picked up the phone and held out the receiver to her husband. "Please… you know I haven't seen any of them. You were lucky. You got to, even if was under tense circumstances."

He took the receiver and slammed it down. "Heidi, drop it! He won't talk to me! He won't even tell me why he hates me so much! He's…I don't know what he is."

'A pox on thee, Aleit!' Heidi thought resentfully of the woman who had once been her dearest friend, but in a fit of jealousy stole away the three things that had meant the world to Heidi, and nineteen years later… still nothing.

"Please…Karl…" Heidi whispered, tears in her eyes. "I don't ask much."

"There is only so much I can do, and if Thomas knew I was after Albrecht, he'd have the CIA on my ass. He doesn't know it's mine. If he did, he'd stick it to me. The asshole is spiteful."

"Then, why not try that one?"

Karl was about to protest Heidi's persistent requests when their forth born child, a thirteen year old girl came into the room.

"Mom, Ralf is getting into my stuff again."

"Well, if you didn't flout your diary I wouldn't read it!" a young boy, no more than seven or eight remarked as he trailed in and stuck his tongue out at her. He smiled, his eye teeth missing. "And besides, it's not hard to find! You leave it under your mattress!"

"Ralf, leave Eva alone." Karl barked curtly. He gently massaged his temples. He could feel one of those brief headaches setting in. "I do not need this right now."

Eva stuck her tongue out. "See, I'm the eldest, you listen to me."

"Nyah!" Ralf made a face at Eva and ran laughing madly from the room.

Eva groaned and folded her arms over her chest. "Mom, can't you give him away to good will?"

"No, Eva!" Heidi replied sternly. "And please go do your homework; I need to talk to your father."

Pouting, she left the room.

Sighing, Karl sat back. "They need to know about their older brothers and sister. This can't go on. But…"

"Not when your eldest hates you, right?"

"I just don't get it…" His eyes then narrowed as the phone rang, his eyes turning down to the display. "And I don't want to answer that either… Heidi be a dear and answer. Tell him to go fuck himself; I'm not in the mood for his shit. Oh and…his days are numbered. When he does decide to go through with the final plan, I'll be there to make sure he meets his maker."

Watching Karl leave, Heidi sighed and picked up the phone. "Hello, Schwartz residence."

"Hello Heidi, is your husband there?"

She groaned. She hated this man, if possible, more than Karl did. "Good evening, Thomas. No, he isn't here. He's stepped out for his evening constitutional. I'll tell him that you called."

"Very well then." He paused. "So, how are you, Heidi?"

"I'm very busy and I don't have time to talk right now. I do have to go. I think I hear Ralf and Eva fighting again…" Heidi replied shortly and pulled the phone away from her mouth. "Leave your brother alone! Sorry…"

She then hung up the phone without bothering to give a formal greeting.

Sitting in the chair, she slumped down. 'How much longer… How much longer before you grow some balls and stand up to this son of a bitch and take back my son?'

He didn't expect an ambush, though the scenario was absolutely perfect for it, given that he has just entered a rather questionable area of Los Angles and he had nothing more than his car, a gun and a hint that there was information that he'd find quiet useful.

Taking the keys out of the ignition, he put them in his pocket and locked the door.

'This… I have a bad feeling about this…' he thought as he stealthily moved against the gentle caress of the shadows. 'Something doesn't feel right.'

He then dropped himself to the ground and in good time too, as a bullet went sailing over his head, shattering the glass of the driver's side window.

"Aw, fuck! Just great, now how am I going to explain that to dad?" he muttered aloud, pivoting to see who had fired that shot.

"Nice dodge, Agent Anderson. I'm quite impressed by your reflexes." A soft voice purred in Russian.

Jonathan's eyes narrowed. "What the fuck do you want?" he snarled. He was really pissed off! For the first time in weeks he got the car and now his privileges were going to be revoked because of some gun-toting lunatic!

"We want you dead." A second voice remarked. "It seems that you're playing double agents and you were taking us for patsies. Sorry, game over, Agent."

He drew his own gun. "Enough talk! Get the fuck out here and face me like the knee-jerk reaction assholes you are!"

"Isn't that sweet, he has a gun." The first remarked in a demons-coated tone.

Jonathan's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you want, but, get right to the point before I fucking run you through!"

"Well, at least he gives us warning…" the second remarked. "That way we can give him a run for his money instead of him driving whatever weapon he finds through us…"

Jonathan arched an eyebrow then smirked. "Oh I see… You had a little run in with Agent O'Kelly. Yes, he's a piece of work, isn't he? Too bad he didn't finish you incompetent assholes off! Whatever he did to you was too fucking nice!"

"No, what were about to do to you is too nice." Agent Bartecelli replied icily. "For you see… You thought you had us fooled with your wee sob story that your 'father' Colonel Anderson adopted you from someone else and treated you badly, when in fact; you've been using that as a ploy to win our sympathy. We aren't fooled, Albrecht!"

Jonathan blinked, and looked around, and then gazed back at Agent Bartecelli. "Eh?"

"Don't play naïve! You know full well what you were doing! And frankly, we're tired of the games! So, you can tell Herr Karl Schwartz that your cover's been blown. There is no where for you to hide."

"Uhm…I've never met the guy in my life. All I know is that he's the colonel's German contact."

Chortling, Agent Tereskova smirked. "Nice try. But, 'Agent' O'Kelly did relay us with adequate information about your true allegiance."

"So, you're going to believe what a gun-toting IRA lunatic-terrorist is going to tell you? You know he doesn't even work for the same cause. And he has a personal vendetta with Schwartz! I'm guessing he mentioned something rather vague and you two tools twisted his words around because you can't think for shit!"

His eyes narrowed, his sights transfixed steadily on Jonathan. "You're about to make a big mistake in failing to admit such alliances." Agent Bartecelli paused. "For you see, we'd have let you off easily…"

His amber eyes glinted evilly; the shadows of the falling dusk giving him an ominous appearance. His eyes, narrowed into cat-like slits. "But, you aren't going to, and so, we're forced to take action against you for such treachery."

Walking away from his car, Jonathan wearily eyed the two. "And exactly what have I done besides calling the both of you incompetent?"

"I thought we already made it clear!" Agent Tereshkova scathing hissed as he picked up a rather large bolder and threw it in Jonathan's direction, and fortunately missing by some distance, even though his initial throw had been on target.

Smirking, Jonathan decided to take his fate into his own hands. He taunted, "You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn at three paces with a beach ball!"

"Just as you can't stop any attacks against you without your dear brother coming to your rescue." Agent Bartecelli sneered, as a light mist surrounded his hand.

Overhead, a shadow flew, first landing on to the car then springing off.

Jonathan knew who it was. He briefly detected that chi. He knew that the other two wouldn't pick it up in time.

Opting to buy his ally time, he stepped back a few paces, still facing the two. "So, you really think you can get away with making me pay for my sins?"

At precisely that moment in time, the car erupted into a smouldering ball of flames. The glass exploded; shattering. The flying debris hit the two agents near the car with maximum force, as though driven by something more than a few kilograms of TNT.

With Tereshkova and Bartecelli moderately injured and covered in residual debris and dust from the explosion, from the shadows, Shannon easily stepped in. He came in from behind his brother. "I was piss bored in Tokyo, so I decided to follow these two assholes. I figured they'd give you a hard time."

"So kind of you…" Jonathan replied sarcastically. His brother was too trigger-happy.

Climbing to his knees, Agent Bartecelli took out what appeared to his the "shin", only to find him self staring down the barrel of Shannon's favourite gun, a Colt Python 357 mag.

"I thought I made it clear… Don't fuck with me or my brother." He paused and scathingly added, "But it seems you didn't learn your lesson."

Reaching out, Agent Tereshkova placed a hand on his colleague's shoulder. "Don't do it, he's not worth it. That and I sincerely believe he'd do us in more so than any of the others could…"

Growling, Agent Bartecelli climbed to his feet, blood trickling from his temple; searing pain lancing his body. He was ignoring the other blood that seeped from him, except that from his temple, as the salty fluid brushed against the sensitive surface of his eye.

Brushing away the trickle, he turned a piercing gaze to the twins, but he stopped from taking any knee-jerk reactionary tactics, as Agent Tereshkova took a hold of his arm.

"No, don't try anything. I think we made a mistake by calling him out like this. It seems we're up against more here than we are if we fought the others. We can't afford to lose more allies. We need all the help we can get…"

"You're right… You did need help. Let me help by speeding up the death process." Shannon replied simply, cocking his gun at Agent Tereshkova.

Snarling, Agent Marius Bartecelli pulled out his. "Put the gun down and listen to us! I don't care! But, it seems maybe the other two would like to work out something!"

"You're going to play by my rules because otherwise I'll run you threw and by the time I'm done with you; there will nary be a DNA sample or even a file that confirms your fucking miserable existence."

Leaning against his twin, Jonathan smirked and evilly remarked, "And he's not bluffing. I've seen him do this kind of thing before. He never gets caught."

"Hey! Ease up!" Agent Tereshkova exclaimed, preparing to draw his gun.

Jonathan drew his and cocked it at the agent. "I suggest you put it down. Your powers are rendered useless now… In fact, against him, we're all useless. He's immune to my attack, so when he says play by his rules, you better do it."

Glaring at the two, as he placed it down, Agent Josef Timur Tereshkova scathing hissed, "The rules you're having us play by make us vulnerable to an attack from the Target X!"

"Not when my brother has a personal vendetta against Target X! He hates Schwartz!" Jonathan retorted. He wasn't about to put down his gun. He had an upper hand and he wasn't going to let it slip from his fingers.

"Prove it." Agent Bartecelli replied coolly.

"I don't have to prove fucking jack shit to you!" Shannon snarled scathingly. "In fact, the only thing anyone will have to prove is your existence if you don't shut the fuck up right now!"

"Then why don't you just kill me."

"Because that'd be too easy. In fact, I'd rather return a certain favour to you."

"Favour?"

The rope of the Ryuuseisui shot up from the ground, effectively trapping Agent Bartecelli in a rather interesting way.

A twisted smirk crossed Shannon's lips. "Does this spark a certain memory for you? You did this to my brother and I will now return the favour. And unlike your vines, this is not an illusion…or is it?"

"You don't have control of illusionary powers." Jonathan remarked, eyeing the ropes.

"It depends…" Shannon replied, taking out a pair of ninja stars.

Jonathan peered at his twin, his eye twitching.

The other two agents peered at him as well, though for a much different reason.

Agent Anderson's doppelganger was overtly aggressive, cold, calculating and extremely manipulative. In other words, exactly the kind of balance they needed to make their task at hand easier.

Stepping forward, Agent Tereshkova held out his hand. "O'Kelly, you seem to be an excellent fighter and I'm sure you're strong in other areas." He paused. "Would you consider working with us against Schwartz and his cronies? I know you have your own motives, but since we seem to be fighting the same target, it only makes logical sense to attack as one instead of attacking in different waves."

Shannon snorted derisively. "What makes you think I'll work with you? The only thing I'll do with you is help you die!"

"You know… don't I didn't tell you so, Josef." Agent Bartecelli replied icily. "I did warn you that he wouldn't agree to this and now he's going to kill us… Unless of course, he's blowing out his ass…"

Shannon smirked – it was a very evil smirk; a smirk befitting of a man who had no trouble with spilling the blood of many innocents.

In a flash, blood pooled at Agent Bartecelli's feet, and he fell to the ground, limp.

His partner didn't have much chance to get away before he too faced the same fate.

Pulling back his Ryuuseisui, Shannon stepped forward and kicked Agent Bartecelli's very dead body. Putting that weapon through someone and totally destroying their internal organs in a mere blink of an eye was one way to get the job done, though it proved to be rather messy.

Upon hearing a faint rustling in the nearby brush, Shannon turned and drew his gun, as did Jonathan. However, for once he held his fire and Jonathan took the aggressive front and fired once into the brush, rousing a distinct, "ow fuck!"

"Oh, gee, what a surprise; Bartecelli sends in decoys." Shannon remarked flippantly.

Raising a finger, Jonathan moved stealthily around the smouldering remains if the car, which was now, reduced to nothing more than a twisted frame of steel and burning rubber.

Stepping around the other way, Shannon put away his favourite handgun and drew a machete. For close combat he preferred a more traditional weapon. It made things…interesting. Guns were good for making a blunt point, but for the sheer thrill of combat, fighting with a blade was nothing but pure exhilaration.

He paused; deciding against ambushing them, as his twin came up, holding Agent Tereshkova in a head lock, a gun pointed to the man's head.

"Ok, let's make one thing clear – I'm not in the fucking mood for your mind games! So, get to the point, what the hell did you two want with me? To kill me? Well, tough shit – it just isn't going to happen!" Jonathan seethed scathingly, thrusting the barrel of the gun against Agent Tereshkova's head.

Preparing to turn against Jonathan, the red character on Agent Tereshkova's chest lit up, but he didn't do anything, as the other twin was standing there and the pair were a strong pair of fighters and against him and Marius, they were nearly invincible.

"Fine, we were going to kill you! But for being a traitor – for the exact reasons we gave earlier." Agent Tereshkova bit out nastily.

"Now, was that so hard?" Jonathan pushed him away. "Get the fuck out of my sight!"

As his twin threatened Agent Tereshkova, the wheels of conspiracy in Shannon's head clicked into action and a malicious smirk caressed his lips. "Or not… Perhaps we could not kill them, and perhaps we could try and work with them. After all, we're on the same page in some ways, aren't we?"

Jonathan blanched and stared at his brother in sheer horror. "What the hell have you been smoking?"

"I'm just saying…" Shannon purred with an oddly saccharine tone to his voice.

Agent Bartecelli and his partner were equally as perplexed, but in the midst of their confusion, they wound up accepting Shannon's proposal, blissfully unaware of the trap they had just walked into…

Closing her upper locker, a tall senior pushed deep red hair behind her ear. She had transferred into Yotsubadai earlier in the school year, after failing to meet Jonan Academy's standards for the senior year. She had lucked out because her record was still on file for this school.

She found the workload no easier, but it was a touch lighter, which gave her a little time to herself so she could go to her martial arts class. She was at the top of the black belt (dan) class, and was the school contender for the national championship coming up. For that reason along, she was thankful to not have the same workload she did at Jonan.

Since she had arrived at this school, she felt an odd presence, but hadn't pursued it, nor had been able to place a finger on it. She gathered it didn't belong to a reincarnated Seishi…

And as she heard two voices on the other side of the locker bank, she felt that presence again. She decided to scout this and figure out who it belonged to.

Pressing her back against the locker end, she peered slightly around the corner, her eyes widening. 'This is the world of the priestess! I thought it was just a dream, but Tomo caught the very image of this world so perfectly!'

She didn't move, as it was obvious the two were talking.

Bending over, Yui opened her lower locker. "If you didn't insist on passing me a note in English, we wouldn't have been given clean up duty."

"I'm sorry, Yui-chan, but I'm just concerned. Every time I ask you about Tetsuya, you say nothing! I know he's being an ass but you won't say anything." Miaka replied quietly.

Slamming her books on the floor of the locker, Yui cast a very dirty look at Miaka. "I told you not to bring that up! Tetsuya is not an ass…"

"But Oniichan said that Tetsuya hurt you."

"But didn't Keisuke also tell Tetsuya some random crap about Suboshi threatening him? And if Suboshi did threaten him, it would mean he's in Tokyo and he'd have found me by now, but since neither of which has happened, I think you ought not to believe anything Keisuke tells you. He spends part of his week drunk."

"So does Tetsuya! And he hurt you! I saw the bruises, Yui-chan."

"Miaka, drop it already!" Yui exclaimed angrily, slamming the locker door shut with incredible brute force. She then hastily grabbed her backpack and left before Miaka could protest again.

The other girl's brow furrowed in concern, and she bit her lip, as she contemplated what to do…

However, she didn't get a chance to retreat before Miaka found her.

"Soi…!"

"Uh…hi…" she replied weakly, waving feebly.

This was certainly awkward.


	4. Chapter 4

Glimpse Into the Past: Part 4

**Glimpse Into the Past: Part 4**

_Believe it or not, everyone have things that they hide  
Believe it or not, everyone keeps most things inside  
Believe it or not, everyone, believe in something above  
Believe it or not, everyone, need to feel loved_

(_Believe It or Not_, The Long Road, Nickelback)

"I'm bored…" a short young man – mid teens – poked his text book.

A snide smirk crossed the lips of his sister. "The genius is bored with studying?"

"No, I just find this rather mind-numbing book the teacher assigned much too simple."

"What's the matter? Dad didn't get you into the ultra-mega genius class? Is the enriched academic program not hard enough for you?"

"Actually, it's not."

Rolling her eyes, Eireanna sighed and sat back. She hated being related to Brennan – he was far too boring. He may be intelligent, but it didn't account for the lack thereof charismatic personality. In her eyes, he had the personality of dry wall.

She didn't have patience for the likes of him. Despite knowing he too was a reincarnation, she has little respect for his skills. Superior intelligence struck her as a rather useless ability, namely in the face of her illusionary and teleportation skills. She never even bothered to compare it to her Vampyre ones…

Nevertheless, she felt herself to be inferior next to Shannon who easily danced rings around her in combat, despite not having the ability to teleport or cast illusions. She didn't understand how he had come to be able to break her spells. Nor how he could fight her with graceful ease when she was teleporting.

The only thing she did know was that he had turned down her offer for eternal life…

Eireanna cast a glance at Brennan then at the door as she heard her name being called.

She stood up and teleported from the room.

Brennan frowned and threw the book across the room and fell back on his bed.

"Brennan, where's Eireanna? I just tried calling her. It's her turn to cook tonight." An older girl stuck her head in the room.

Groaning, he eyed her. "I have no idea, O'Shawna – she just teleported from the room. What the hell do I look like, her keeper?"

"There's no need for profanities." She replied sternly. "Just find her."

"I said I'm not her fucking keeper!"

"And I said no swearing."

"Who died and made you queen?"

She lifted her right and left fist. "My loyal subjects did. Now, since Eireanna isn't around, get your pretty butt down to the kitchen and start peeling potatoes."

"This isn't the army, and I'm studying." Brennan replied as-matter-of-factly.

O'Shawna folded her arms over her chest. "What? The ceiling?"

She pointed at the door. "Move it or lose it…"

"If Shannon was here, I wouldn't have to listen to you…"

"No, you'd be listening to him."

Glaring at her, his eyes narrow, Brennan stood up and stormed from the room, fuming. He hated cooking detail – especially the part that involved vegetables and any kind of preparation. He didn't want to peel anything, let alone potatoes because it usually meant peeling enough to feed an army of thousands when O'Shawna was in one of her many 'nastier' moods.

Sulking as he went down to the kitchen, he stopped as he heard the phone ring. It was his chance to procrastinate on helping with supper!

Rushing to pick it up, he hastily greeted the caller.

There was a rough grunt on the other end.

"I'd have though you'd have learned how to speak by now."

"And I'd have thought you'd have learned how to answer the phone like a normal human being."

"What would you know about being normal?"

"I know this much; you're a far cry from the status quo."

Brennan emitted a low growl. Shannon was such a pain in the ass!

"What the hell do you want anyway?"

"I need you to tell Patrick I'm not going to be home. I have, for some reason, this feeling I need to be back in Tokyo."

"Didn't he tell you that he doesn't like you calling him by his first name?"

"I'll call him whatever I want. I just need you to tell him that."

"Why should I?"

"Because if you don't, I'll call back and ask O'Shawna to hang you by your balls."

"How will you know if I don't tell him?"

"Simple – whenever I fall back on my word to him, he calls and bitches at me, so, if he doesn't, I'll know that you haven't told him and therefore know to call O'Shawna and give her the head's up."

"You're such a fucking asshole!"

"Yes, I love you too brother."

Brennan growled again. He hated it when Shannon used that sugar-coated tone. He knew his brother was mocking him when he used it!

Without bothering to say goodbye, he slammed the phone down. He hated talking to Shannon. He might as well talk to a brick wall!

Wandering into the room, a short man, no more than about five and a half feet, with fiery red hair and deep green eyes, walked up to his youngest son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I heard the phone ring and judging by your tone, it was Shannon…"

"Yeah…" Brennan replied meekly, gazing over at his father, Padráig. "He says he's not coming home. You'll have to tell Mr. Schwartz not to come now."

Padráig sighed, a long and drawn out sigh. "And no one told Shannon the real reason for me wanting him to come home?"

Brennan shrugged. "As far as I know, Eireanna and O'Shawna kept their feed holes shut about the whole thing and I wouldn't have had a chance because Shannon never listens to me anyway."

"He never did listen to anyway. Would you mind calling Karl and telling him? I've got to get ready to go out to meet some of my colleagues for a farewell dinner for Sullivan, who's retiring next week."

Brennan growled softly. Why did he have to do everything? Life just isn't fair when you're a genius…

An expression of surprised danced through her eyes as she stared at the taller girl.

"Soi…!"

"Uh…hi…" she replied, offering a feeble wave, her mind reeling as she tried to come up with an answer as to why she was standing her eavesdropping on what was obviously a personal conversation. "I was just on my uh…way home…"

Miaka blinked innocently at the tall girl before her eyes lit up. "Soi! Were you on good terms with Suboshi before?"

"What?" she replied, staring down at Miaka, confused by the seemingly randomness of the question.

"Well?" Miaka pressed, sounding rather eager.

She shrugged. "I guess. I never had a problem with him; nice enough kid, though rather obsessed with Yui. Last I remember was him on his hands and knees wondering why she had vanished before well, I…decided to defend Nakago against Tasuki's attack."

Miaka's expression grew sage. "If you were on good terms, would you be able to convince him to do something that I haven't?"

"Wait, back up – you're on good terms with him?"

Nodding, Miaka smiled sweetly. "Yep!"

The former Seiryuu Seishi Soi shook her head in disbelief. "Then again, people do change…" she paused for a moment then asked, "do you know where he is?"

"He is living in Tokyo, but went to LA to talk to his brother about something. He didn't disclose it. He just upped and left. I only found the note saying that…." Miaka replied cautiously.

"So he was reincarnated here?"

"No, like his twin, in Germany."

The taller student shrugged then leaned in, and asked, "so, what exactly do you want me to do? Break some kind of language barrier?"

"No, he's already taken care of that. I need you to convince him to talk to Yui-chan." Miaka explained simply.

'Soi' or rather Yamato Michiko blinked perplexedly. "Did you just say convince him to talk to Yui? But… But, I had always been under the impression that he was more than in love with her. He fed his brother a mind-altering liquid just to prevent him from being hurt…"

Miaka shrugged. "I think something happened along the way because he doesn't want anything to do with her. He keeps saying it's because she hates him…"

"And I thought she didn't care for him…?"

"She does."

"Ah… I see where this is going. He has past memories and refuses to let go of it."

"No, because he's friends with me and Tamahome, or rather Taka."

Michiko's eye twitched. She had to wonder if she had been reincarnated in some sort of alternative universe. Nothing was as it appeared. Everything was backwards!

Sighing, she rubbed her temples. "Ok, so what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Well, when he gets back to the city, I want you to convince him that he needs Yui and that she doesn't hate him. He won't listen because I'm her best friend." Miaka explained nonchalantly. It seemed very simple to her, though a pointless arduous task to others.

"Uh, huh, and exactly does this entail?" Michiko asked, crossing her arms over her ample chest.

Inclining her head and smiling sweetly. "Convincing him he's hurting Yui-chan by avoiding her entirely."

"Has Yui actually said anything about this?" Michiko paused and asked slowly, feeling like she was about to ask a stupid question. "Does she even known Shannon?"

"Well…that's the thing… she doesn't. He knows about her and pretty much everything. He refuses to talk to her. She doesn't even know he's in Tokyo, but I know she's jealous of Taka…" Miaka replied.

Michiko shook her head. "Sorry, Yuuki-san, but I can't. If they knew each other, then I'd agree, but he's reincarnated now, so, unless she has met him, she technically doesn't know him and therefore, it would be unethical for me to do anything."

"Then at least do this much for her! You're a former Seishi of hers; I want you to make sure that Tetsuya is really not hurting her." Miaka declared. "Yui-chan has odd bruises and she won't answer when I ask. I need someone who could…"

"Spy? That's against my moral ethic code. However, if you needed me to run this Tetsuya guy through, I have a few men available for such a job. My lackeys have been getting restless." Michiko replied casually.

"Kill him?" Miaka blanched. Even if Tetsuya turned out to be the asshole she suspected he was, killing him wasn't something she had in mind.

She paused. "Uh…wouldn't that be unethical?"

Michiko shrugged. "It's all relevant. Morals are not absolute."

Miaka groaned; she wasn't in the mood for anything of a philosophical debate.

Waving as she walked away, Michiko picked up her school bag. "Sorry, but spying is out of the question, and so is trying to talk to your friend. Bye!"

Miaka sighed and slumped onto the floor, as she watched Michiko retreat. Tears welled up in her eyes. She felt utterly powerless to help Yui. 'Soi' wouldn't help; Shannon was far too obstinate, Keisuke was out of the question, Taka was only willingly to listen and Yui, well, Yui just wouldn't listen to reason.

It would be a few days later that Michiko would find herself briefly involved in the problem involving the former Seiryuu no Miko, much to her dismay. She didn't believe in meddling in the affairs of others, unless there was real concrete evidence that warranted that meddling, but even the, she kept her nose clean.

She didn't even like being involved with Tenkou and his movement. She was only there in attempt to try and get closer to Nakago, or rather Jakob Nylund, Nakago's reincarnation. She wasn't having much luck because of a little thing known as a "language barrier". Jakob spoke Norwegian and English; she spoke Japanese and oddly, had excellent command of the German language.

Their progress had been limited at best and when she started to realise that she wasn't about to get anywhere with him, she tried to leave, only to find herself cornered by Eugene Manley (Miboshi), who turned on the charm and tired to convince her to stay.

At the time, she didn't have any real reason to leave, so, for that reason alone, she simply decided to stay aboard, though unlike the others refused to pledge loyalty to Tenkou and any of the others. She didn't feel any loyalty to them and was bidding her time before she found the means by which to leave.

And this was the very thing she found herself contemplating as she walked home. She had stayed late at the library studying for upcoming tests and assignments. She had then made a stop at the café near the library. She had gone to the one at the university since she needed a change of pace and found herself in the presence of Suboshi, who was needless to say, not the same as she remembered.

When she initially spoke to him, he seemed rather cold, though an expected kind of cold – the kind of stranger cold; the sort that is expected when two people don't know each other. When it seemed that he was warming up to her, she had opened a Pandora's box and mentioned Yui, which brought out a very sharp reaction from Shannon.

His reaction was nothing short of aggressively hostile. She had been taken back by the scathing reaction. It was just as Miaka had said… At that point she had suddenly understood why Miaka was so desperate to have someone else talk to Shannon.

It became increasingly apparent when Taka walked by the table and didn't even emit a chi. The signature was there, but not like it had been.

She had left at that point. She didn't think she had any business being around there, with Taka in a state of ignorance and Shannon proving to be hostile with each instance that her lips came close to forming Yui's name.

When she had been leaving, Shannon had been on his way home.

He had looked her and simply stated that he didn't feel like being used again; being walked over. He had learned his lesson from before and didn't feel like taking the same route again, and unlike her wasn't going to set himself up for the same heartbreak because he knew that Yui didn't care for him and she had made it very clear the first time around.

He had then vanished before she had a chance to reply, but had found herself oddly in agreement with him. She had been thinking the same thing about Jakob, and the futility of trying to win his heart this time around.

Sighing, Michiko replayed that conversation over and over in her head as she walked down the street before she heard something of a girl's surprised yelp. She turned, her chi sensing the chi signature of Yui.

Dropping her bag, she ran in the direction of the chi.

She stopped short of the light. She could clearly see the scene that was unfolding before her. There was nearly no one else around, except for her, someone who she couldn't see, and the couple.

The guy had Yui's wrists in his hand.

Feeling concerned, Michiko pulled closer.

Yui squirmed uncomfortably. "Tetsuya! You're hurting me!" Tears streamed down her face.

"Answer me! I'll let you go when you answer me!" He growled scathingly. "You're seeing him aren't you? You're always thinking about him? You're cheating on me aren't you? It's easy for you to walk over me! You've had practice before!"

Whimpering, Yui tried to pull away. "No I'm not! And you had too much to drink again. Let me go! You're hurting me." Her breath-rate increased, as her voice grew with panic.

He let her wrists go, but shoved her against the tree. "I'm not hurting you! You're the one who's inflicting pain onto me by denying the truth!"

Her body slammed into the tree as she shrieked, her voice anguished. "STOP IT TETSUYA! STOP IT!"

The blue aura of Seiryuu formed around her, as the two Seiryuu Seishi in the vicinity reacted to her screams.

Lightening shot down from the cloudless sky striking Tetsuya, at the same moment in which a strange weapon flew at Tetsuya, shredding his clothes and cutting him deeply.

Yui gasp as he screamed, trying to shield himself from the dual attack.

She turned, feeling scared and peered at the silhouette of the girl and then of the boy who landed gracefully next to her. She turned and stepped away from Tetsuya, still scared, though comforted by the familiar sight of the lightening.

As she walked over, all the street lights in the area shut off.

She shuddered and ran straight for the only one she knew by sight – Soi!

She flung herself against the other girl and sobbed.

Confused, Michiko quickly handed Yui over to the guy, who panicked and quickly pushed the sobbing and hysterical Yui back over to Michiko.

"Don't go fucking handing her to me! I have enough troubles without a hysterical girl sobbing on me!"

Glaring at him, Michiko rested a hand on Yui's shoulder. "Be a man and take her!" She paused then added, noting not to say it in Japanese since she need not distress Yui any more.

In flawless German she retorted, "Miaka was charitable in her description of you! She failed to mention that you're an asshole, Shannon!"

"So what if I am? It's not going to change a fucking thing, Michiko!" Shannon exclaimed angrily, the malice in his voice not sugar coated.

Yui watched the pair closely, curious as to why Michiko, who she knew from chess matches between their schools was so ready to argue with someone else who had been at the scene to help.

Squinting, Yui could barely make out any details on the young man, other than he did bear a slight resemblance to the guy that was Miaka's tutor. He wore a bandanna and kept his hair back. The light of the moon did enunciate the shape of his face, but the moonlight reflected on his glasses.

She turned her eyes to Michiko then back to Shannon.

It was obvious the two didn't get along.

"It should! You act like a macho ass, and you say you don't want anything to do with Yui and yet you come along and help put that twat of a boyfriend in his place."

"I just happened to be going home this way!"

"Walking?"

"No, I was on a motorcycle, and that is irrelevant! I'm still not having anything to do with her!"

"So, you save her even though you hate her for no damn good reason?"

"I never said I hated her…" Shannon replied quietly. "It's just… I don't want to face her because she hates me."

"Uh-huh…"

"Give me a break! You should be the first one who should understand, especially given how Nakago treated you! You were nothing more than a mere little sex slave to him! You were used by him! You were delusion into thinking he loves you and that he still does." Shannon added in a softer tone. "I was fooled by Yui the first time, but, not this time. Life has hardened me, but it has made me a little wiser and a little less foolish, even if I'm still an asshole."

Michiko paled slightly. "That's an unfair comparison! And Nakago never treated me like that."

"Uh-huh and Yui isn't a cold hearted bitch!" Shannon shot back.

Despite having no knowledge of the language, Yui gathered that the other one was definitely a reincarnated Seishi and likely a Seiryuu Seishi due to the names being thrown back and forth, as well as the nature of familiarity that lurked between the two.

'No, it's not Nakago she's talking to, since it seems he's using the name as a weapon against her.' Yui reasoned as she listened for more names she knew. Of course, she wouldn't be getting anything from this as she didn't even know what they were talking about.

Michiko folded her arms. "At least answer this much… Do you still love her?"

"Whether I do or not is irrelevant."

"Just answer!"

"And if I don't?"

"I'll put you on you on the spot. Its obvious Yui doesn't know you're Suboshi, or she'd have reacted to you by now, wouldn't have she? Either than or figured your Amiboshi and unlike your brother, a really nasty son of a bitch. After all, she never your Aniki didn't you?"

'Now she's talking about the twins?' Yui's eyes turned to the other one and she squinted. If not for the bandanna and the glasses, she'd figure out who it was. But as it was, the guy was far too skilled at concealing his identity. 'And she mentioned 'Aniki' and the only time I ever heard it was when Suboshi would talk about his brother…'

She turned her eyes to the young man.

"So she never met my Aniki – though Aniki refers to me now, since I'm the oldest. What is your point?"

Yui's eyes widened. 'Could it very well be Suboshi? Of course, he could just be using 'Aniki' loosely to make a point to Michiko…'

"My point… My point is that I know who you are and I could just switch back into Japanese…" Michiko smirked, and proceeded to do just that, "And tell her precisely who you are…unless…"

"Unless I what?" Shannon replied in a low, scathing tone.

"Be a gentleman and at least escort her home." Michiko declared arrogantly, her arms rested across her chest, her expression unduly smug.

His gaze rested steadily on Michiko before he sighed and conceded. "Fine…as long as she doesn't touch me."

"Then you'll be going by foot." Michiko retorted complacently.

Growling softly, Shannon shuddered then heaved a long sigh. "I give…"

"Good boy…" Michiko turned to Yui. "He'll take you home. I'll be teaching your little boyfriend it doesn't pay to be nasty to Seiryuu no Miko…" she winked at Yui before gently pushing Yui in Shannon's direction, who gazed down at her and grunted.

Shrugging, Shannon walked away, Yui timidly following him.

They walked in silence until they came to the curb where he had parked his motor bike.

She swallowed, wearily eyeing it, as he tossed a helmet at her. She gingerly fingered it, as he put on his.

"Uhm…"

Sighing, a soft growl, he reached over and took it from her and put it on her, the strap doing itself up, his fingers not reaching under her chin.

"Uhm…what's your name?" Yui asked hesitantly as she watched him get on the bike before she got in.

He shrugged. "My name is irrelevant. I don't have a name; I just carry my father's name because no one could be bothered to give me my own name. They recycled my name." He said his tone resentful.

"Ok, now that you've given me your rebel without a cause statement, how about you tell me what you name is." Yui replied more forcefully, as she mounted the bike.

"Fine… I'm Schwartz Kai." He replied, after a moment of thought, reasoning that Miaka likely referred to him by his Irish name, so Yui wouldn't know any better if he gave his German name.

He then gunned the engine before Yui could protest and probe him about being Miaka's tutor.

As they rapidly gained momentum Yui yelped and clung tightly to him, despite his obvious discomfort with her touching him. She felt him tense significantly as she tightening her arms around him, clinging tightly to him as he swiftly guided the bike through the narrow fairways that led to her house.

As she hung onto him, she felt a unique kind of exhilarating electricity surge through her body. It was oddly comforting and only had left felt this when Suboshi had held her before the summoning until she felt that would be able to summon Seiryuu.

Yelping as she suddenly felt the bike being air borne, she clung for dear life to her driver. She never felt more terrified in her life than the last time she had been in a car with Tetsuya.

However, when the bike landed without even a slight bump, she sighed in relief, though was left wondering how the driver had been able to land the bike so gently; so flawlessly…

Once it stopped, Shannon quickly dismounting, in an attempt to remove Yui from him.

It wasn't that he had a problem with her, it's was simply that he was extremely uncomfortable being touched by her, especially given his mentality. He desperately wanted her. He denied his feelings when confronted about them, but didn't deny them to himself because he knew it would be foolish.

"Uhm…well…this is your house, right?"

"Yes and I'm impressed since I didn't give you directions…" Yui replied slowly, as she removed the helmet, setting it on the secondary seat on his bike. She paused and added. "And the only way that you would've known is if you're a friend of mine, or someone I once knew…"

Her voice trailed off on a ringing note of melancholy, as she walked to the step. She didn't make it up before she collapsed on the step, burying her face in her arms and sobbing softly.

Shannon stood just feet away from her, dumbfounded. He didn't have the faintest clue as to how to deal with a crying hysterical female. Usually when Eireanna or O'Shawna broke down (which in itself was extremely rare given that Eireanna was a grade-A classic bitch and O'Shawna was butch), he could ignore it because Brennan would take over as the sensitive male.

"Uh…uhm…ah… Yui…uh…" Shannon removed his helmet, his glasses coming off when he did. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Uh…uh… Shouldn't you at least try and get inside? I don't think… I… I should leave you outside here…it…it seems unsafe for a girl….especially this late…"

Yui completely ignored him and continued to cry softly, her shoulders shaking, as she did little effort to control her emotional outburst.

"No fair…my life just isn't fair…" she whispered. "Miaka gets everything handed to her on a silver platter. She gets the one person, who meant the world to her, and the one person I want just isn't around, and my boyfriend is jealous at the mere thought of his existence!"

Shannon blinked. He really sucked at this 'comfort' thing. He slowly walked over to her. He then hesitantly sat on the step and reached out, his hand quivering as he gingerly placed it on her shoulder. He didn't want her to realise who he was, but at the same time he felt for leaving her like this.

Every cry from her was another needle in his soul. He couldn't take the sound of her cries; they were slowly getting to him; tearing him up inside.

"It's ok… Even if you think your life is so bad, chances are, there is someone out there who would rather have your life than theirs." He replied reassuring.

Yui briefly ceased her sobbing to snort derisively before a fresh set of tears streaked her face. "How would you know?"

"Because my life has been nothing but a series of rapes on my body and soul, leaving me with nothing but scars to show for it. You at least can express emotion. I'm emotionally crippled… or so, I'm told." Shannon replied bitterly. "Of course, you know, what does it matter? We both know suicide doesn't work. If it fails the first time, it'll fail every time."

He stood up, laughing acrimoniously. "Of course, why should you listen to me? I'm just the lunatic twin. No one ever wants to hear what I have to say. No one wants me around anyway. I've always been the one people use as a doormat."

He paused and sighed softly. "Uhm… You'll want to ignore that… I'm just talking shit now." He ran his fingers through his hair.

Yui gasped. "Amiboshi…" she turned her eyes to him. She went to get up and face him, but he was already moving away. She held out her hand. "Wait! Please…wait…"

She dropped her eyes to the ground. "Amiboshi… You must know where Suboshi is…and, I know you wouldn't keep it from me. Everyone else seems inclined to keep secrets from me. But you…please, be different from the others."

Shannon paused, and without turning back to face her, offered up this much, "Suboshi is a lot closer to you than you could ever imagine."

He didn't feel ready to tell her who he truly was…at least not tonight. Maybe tomorrow he would…

He then headed to his bike, and grabbing his helmet mounted the bike and without another word, sped off into the night, leaving Yui to stare after him, wondering what he had meant by that. But she wouldn't be left wondering for long, as Miaka would come in tomorrow afternoon and drag her off to the café where Taka worked, for a date with destiny…


	5. Chapter 5

How You Remind Me

**How You Remind Me**

_I'm sick of sight without  
A sense of feeling  
And this is how you remind me  
This is how you remind me  
Of what I really am_

(Nickelback, _How You Remind Me_, Silver Side Up)

A young man with dark teal hair, a light tan and piercing cobalt blue eyes, sighed as he gazed over an order he just wrote down. He didn't think it was possible for one person to eat that much. Okay, he had yet to see this girl all she ordered. The girl he had just taken an order from placed a request for enough food to feed a starving family of five in Latin America for a month! That was a slight exaggeration, but it seemed like that much to the young man when he considered just how small this girl had been.

The girl… He couldn't shake the image of her from his mind. She was quite pretty, with a jolly expression and a soft expression. Her bright green eyes were filled with a lust for life. Her medium-length russet hair sat gracefully around her shoulders. She wore a simple school uniform; yet, it seemed custom tailored for her. It was a pale blue skirt, coming about three inches above the knee, a white shirt-sleeved blouse with stripes around the cuff of the sleeves that were the same pale blue, with a thin black stripe through the middle. The collar was with the same pattern. There was an accompanying red tie. She wore white knee-high socks and brown loafers.

The girl was maybe five feet and a couple of inches, she wasn't very tall. She had come to the café with a friend. Her friend was dressed in the same uniform. The taller girl had shoulder length golden hair that she wore without anything tying it back. She had the sharpest eyes he had seen on a girl yet. They were a cerulean blue, with a hint of wisdom beyond her age, twinkling in them.

Sighing, he took out a 12-pack of Marlboros he had and went out behind to the back of the café where most of the waiters and waitresses went on smoke break. He was one of only two people out there at the moment. The other guy out there was a short but strongly built young man of about nineteen years old. The kid had sandy brown hair and deep ice blue eyes that could make a person shudder. Those eyes were almost always hard with hatred.

The young man, who had just come on smoke break, turned to the shorter one and smiled softly. He knew the shorter one was a tough guy, but could be a very good friend. He had learned this right away. He had approached this guy with caution when the others had told him to stay away because he was anti-social. That wasn't the case. The shorter guy was really not much for talking and preferred the gift of silence and felt that idle chatter was a waste of time.

The kid, he had learnt, was from Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. He also knew that the kid had transferred over to Tokyo University on impulse. He guessed it was because the kid was escaping from authorities. He didn't know much else beyond that. He was friends with the kid, but it stopped there. The only other thing he knew was that the kid was fluent in a great number of languages and spoke Japanese flawlessly. This had been learnt from being in the same class as the young man.

He turned to the shorter guy and asked, "After you finish that, mind helping me with an order? Some chick decided to order enough food to feed a family of twenty for a month."

"Hn…" he grunted at the other boy. He gazed up as he continued to smoke the weed he had rolled at home. He inhaled deeply one last time before he dropped it on the ground, exhaling smoke from his nostrils. "I guess I could…Tama." He smirked. On his left profile when he smirked, the light seemed to catch a nasty scar and emphasise it.

Sukanami Taka's eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Baka! I told you not to call me that! I'm not a goddamn cat!" he smacked the young man upside the head.

The kid smirked and pulled out a Yen piece. "Lookie, lookie, Tama! _O-ka-ne_!!" He waved the coin in front of Taka's face.

Snorting scornfully, Taka folded his arms across his chest and turned his back on Shannon O'Kelly. "I'm not stupid! Nor am I a cat!" He turned an eye back to the young man, noting the kid was still holding the coin up. 'Nuts to it, I want it!'

Seeming to grow cat-like ears and a tail, with whiskers fanning out from his face, Taka swatted at the coin with his hand, which in any case could have looked like a paw. "_Nyao_!"

"Good Tama. Fetch, Tama!" Shannon tossed the coin. He kept smirking, as Taka gave him an incredulous look of indignation.

"I'm not fetching that damned coin."

"Fine, all the more for me."

Growling, Taka pounced on it, looking quite proud of himself for getting it. He gazed up, grinning wildly. He then sighed, chastising himself for doing this! Shannon always got him! That damned kid always reduced him to this. This was not fair! Well, at least it wasn't for Taka, which was until Shannon started to Yen coins instead of Hensei pieces.

"So, this chick really ordered that much? Why the hell should I help you?!" Shannon challenged as he eyed Taka. He leaned against the wall, watching the other young man stand up, dust himself off and try and regain a shred of dignity.

"Because, you're the only one who can handle that big an order in one shot, while the rest of us struggle to do that in less than three trips." Taka explained. He sighed. "Tell me; what's your secret, Shannon? I've seen you carrying those trays, and I'm not being mean by saying this, but you are very small compared to some of the other waiters; puny if you will."

Shannon smirked. "I may be short, but I'm a lot stronger than I look." It was true, he was only about five feet and six inches at best, but when he took off the loose shirt he wore for work, it was evident he was far from small. He had a stronger upper body; a slender yet muscular build.

With an exasperated sigh, Taka stared hard at the younger one. "Honestly, do you think I look stupid enough to believe that bullshit?"

"If you have to ask, then yes."

"Baka."

Shannon smiled wanly. "Fine, I'll help, but I'm still not telling you my secret, Tama."

Bristling, Taka replied scathingly, "don't call me Tama, I'm not a cat!"

Heading to the door, Shannon gazed back over his shoulder. "Are you coming or what? I'm not waiting all bloody day."

Taka rolled his eyes. This guy was so impatient! "Hai, hai!" he gave a nonchalant wave of the hand as he trotted over to where Shannon stood in the doorway.

Placing a hand on Shannon's shoulder, Taka smiled softly at the shorter guy. "Thanks for helping out."

"Just don't tell anyone else…" Shannon requested.

Taka made a gestured over his mouth as though zipping it shut. "Of course not!" He winked. "Otherwise I'd have to share your help with the others."

Stopping in the kitchen, Shannon nearly fainted at the size of the order Taka indicated that he needed help in carrying out. No wonder the guy had asked him for help. With an order that size, anyone would need help!

"Good God, what the hell ordered this?!"

"Some girl."

"You've got to be shittin' me! I'm seeing, but I'm not believing…"

"Shut-up and take some."

Holding out his hand, after he checked to make sure no one else was in the vicinity, Shannon held out his hand. The tray on the counter moved upward and landed on his hand, well, almost. It seemed to be, but he wasn't holding it.

Taka stared incredulously at his colleague. That was impossible! No could do that! 'Telekinesis… That's impossible, yet, I'm seeing it.'

Shannon glanced sideways. "Yes, I know, this is why I don't want anyone to know, they'll think I'm really strange or something. I can tell from your reaction."

"No…no, it-it's not that!" Taka stammered his protest. "I-I've just never seen that before. So, that's how you do it. It must be a useful skill to have. I'm boring, I can't do anything special."

'If only you knew.' Shannon thought. He had learnt early on that Taka had no memory of the past. He also didn't have any grasp on his celestial gift. Knowing this, Shannon gracefully danced around it. He didn't want to risk having Taka find out the truth and then inevitably get his ass kicked into the next century.

He turned and headed out. He wouldn't say anything. He had all his memories and he had a better grasp on his old skills. He was the former Seiryuu Seishi Suboshi, the kid that all the Suzaku Seishi, including Tamahome, hated. He would have his life put at risk if Taka knew.

Shannon lived with the knowledge that Taka was the reincarnation of Tamahome and had yet to regain his memories. He intended to keep it that way for as long as he could. He sighed softly. It was sometimes better that way. He had learnt the hard way. He had been continually haunted by vivid images and memories of his past life. First it had been dreams when he was a young boy, then it transformed into a full awakening that resulted in the devastation of the school cafeteria on the first day of high school. The process leading towards it had seemed gradual, but it all came together in a flash. The dreams had stopped when he had grasped the ability, then they all came back when he lost his temper…

"Over there in the corner." Taka said, breaking the silent reverie Shannon had surrendered himself to; losing himself in his thoughts.

Nodding, the former Seiryuu Seishi followed his ancient rival, now-ally over to the table. He paled in shock as he laid eyes on the two girls. The first, the brown-haired girl triggered remorse and regret. He swallowed a lump in his throat, feeling his stomach mesh into twisted knots. '_Gomen nasai_…Suzaku no Miko…'

He bowed his head. He regretted everything he had ever done to her and those close to her. He didn't know if he could look up; he knew she would blow his cover and/or trigger the return of Taka's memories. He prayed to God she wouldn't.

His eyes turned to the next girl. He was damned lucky he wasn't actually holding the tray or he would have plain dropped it to the ground. 'Yui-sama!' His heart skipped a beat. Seiryuu no Miko; the girl he had fallen in love with; the girl who had rejected him time and time again. He didn't know if he could face her either. He didn't want her to know of his past sins. He couldn't face another rejection from her. The first time around had been painful enough. He didn't think he could take it again. It had been too painful.

Meanwhile, Taka blissfully ignorant to the whole situation happily served the two girls with a genuine smile, unaware of his past. It didn't bother him. He just went on his merry way and spoke to the girls when they started up the conversation. It was mainly the brown-haired girl that had started it.

"You said you go to Tokyo University? Have you met anyone named Yuuki Keisuke?" Yuuki Miaka, the russet haired girl asked, smiling sweetly up at Taka. 'Tamahome…'

Taka shook his head. "I don't remember. I might have, the name seems familiar. I think I may have met him at the History Club over at the campus."

The blonde girl sat quietly. She had her attention turned to the other waiter, who really looked like he wanted to leave. She inclined her head, wishing she could see his face. It seemed like he didn't want to look at her and Miaka. She sighed softly and stood up. She could ask for directions to the bathroom.

"_Sumimasan_…" she tapped Shannon on the shoulder. "Could you tell me where the bathroom is?"

"Go inside and toward the back. There is a sign there." He replied. How he didn't want to gaze up into her eyes. He knew what he would see there, hatred and rejection.

"Could you show me there?"

"Ask Taka…I…I have to go server another customer." Shannon replied quickly as he set the tray down on the table, seeking to get out of this situation as quickly as he could. He didn't want to make this last any longer. He had enough painful visits to his past and he didn't need any more.

Gazing over, Taka smacked his colleague upside the head. "Show the lady to the bathroom and stop being a moron, O'Kelly! She's not going to bite or anything."

Muttering some indignation followed by something in a completely foreign language, Shannon turned his back to the blonde and gestured for her to follow. With his back to her, he brought his gaze back up. At least he wouldn't have to look her in the face now.

Her heart skipped a beat. Would she get the same luck of fate that Miaka just did? Would she ever find Suboshi? She hoped this guy who looked like him was his reincarnation. She bit her lips, deciding how she would get the reticent boy to speak to her. He was too docile for her liking.

"What's you name?"

"O'Kelly Shannon." It seemed so foreign to him to give his name in reverse order, but he was getting used to the custom.

That was a start; she got a name from this boy. She needed more. She wasn't content with just knowing his name, she wanted to know more about him; he intrigued her.

Sighing, she resisted the urge to reach out and touch the loose braid that hung down the middle of his back. His hair seemed soft…

"_Watashi no wa_ Hongou Yui," the blonde tried to make conversation with the other one. She knew she wouldn't get very far, but she wasn't about to give up. She had a feeling this was Suboshi, or at least he reminded her of him. She could only pray that it was and that for once in her life she would be as lucky as Miaka.

All Yui wanted was for someone to love her. She had it back when she had been in _Shijin Tenchisho_… But she blew it. She rejected the only boy who had ever loved her fully and unconditionally. His respect for her had been incredible. He had been to kind to her, even when she continually hurt him and tried to show how much she hated him.

Two stray tears fell from her eyes. 'Suboshi…'

Gazing up, she reached out, grabbing his wrist. "Speak to me! You look familiar, I fee like we've met before!" She inhaled tightly, feeling her stomach tighten. She stared at him, her eyes pleading. "Look at me…" she whispered, choking on a sob.

Shannon turned a sullen gaze toward Yui, sighing morosely. He tried to bring his eyes to meet hers, but he didn't know if he could face reject again. It still stung from the first time. His heart had broken into tiny shards. He still felt her sharp shoes as she danced over it, making him feel worthless; nothing more than a human doormat.

'That's all I really was; just someone for her to vent her frustrations on. Why should this life be any different?' he thought morosely. His life had been a living hell up to this point. He didn't see a reason why it should be any different.

She smiled sweetly at him. "Do you remember me?" She hoped she would have better luck than Miaka did with Taka. Taka didn't have his memories. That set Miaka back one step. Yui hoped that this one had his memories.

He shrugged. He muttered something under his breath in a language that sounded like German to Yui. "_Seadh_…" He turned his back to her and added something in the language. She didn't understand the rest.

"Uhm…could you say that in English or Japanese, I don't understand German."

"That was Gaelic…" Shannon whispered. "For…'yes'…"

"Why are you not looking at me? Why won't you talk to me? Do you hate me? Look at me…" Yui pleaded, her voice cracking. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Am I that repulsive?"

"Why should I? So you can use me as a doormat again? So you can hurt me again? So you can walk over and treat me like I'm nothing? So I can bust my ass to please you and only get it thrown back in my face because you hate me? So you can use me for your ends?" Shannon turned a fiery gaze to her, his tone biting.

Yui reeled back like she had been slapped. She stared at Shannon, hurt dancing in her eyes. She couldn't believe this, then again, it was the truth and the truth hurt. The tears that had dried up on her face were moist again as a new set rush forth.

"You want an answer? I should hate you for what you did to me! It fucking hurt! Of course, I was too stupid to at the time. I could only kiss your ass and call it Noisette. Now I've had a second chance…and I've grown up…"

"_Gomen nasai_! _Sessha wa_…_gomen nasai_!" Yui threw herself at Shannon, the tears falling freely down her face. She clung tightly to him. She had felt bad about what she had done before. She couldn't wipe the slate of her soul clean. She fell asleep crying every night because she felt regret and remorse for her actions. She had longed for the day when she could apologise for the past.

Her tears stained his shirt as they fell from her eyes. She wished he would open up, forgive her. Of course, how could she blame him for not wanting to? She had been such a nasty bitch toward him before. She wished that she could get through to him at least, let him know that she was really regretful of her actions.

She hadn't been aware of her feelings at the time. She didn't know how to handle her feelings and his aggressive methods of expressing how he felt. "I…I…"

"Save it for someone who cares." Shannon replied icily. He felt more words on the tip of his tongue but refrained from saying any more. He wanted to tell her he could never forgive her, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.

"Stop being a moron; take the girl out and find out what's wrong." Taka whispered sharply at Shannon, as he walked past. He poked his friend/colleague in the side. "Either that or help me cart out this next order."

"Hn…"

Taka groaned. "And grunting won't help. And damnit, she's in tears. You really have a way with women, O'Kelly. No wonder you do have a girlfriend."

"Get out of here before I wish you were born, Tama!" Shannon exclaimed scathingly, his fist clenching tightly. He felt his chi flare, the ryuuseisui at the tip of his fingers.

Yui gasped, sincerely believing she saw the Ryuuseisui, or at least the ghost thereof. She grabbed Shannon by the arm. "_Yamate_! Don't hurt him, he doesn't have his memories!"

"What memories?" Taka asked. "From the way you and Yuuki-san speak, I get the feeling there is something I should be remembering. And, it seems that I have a friend withholding this from me… Shannon, what aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing important, Taka! C'mon, Hongou-san…" Shannon replied very quickly, as he reached over, grabbing Yui by the wrist. "Cover the last half-hour of my shift, Taka, I'll return the favour on a later date!"

With her in tow behind him, Shannon left Taka standing there speechless. Once out back, Shannon released Yui's wrist and turned to her with the same cold expression. "Okay, look here, I don't want you wasting my time. You're just some little stupid schoolgirl."

Yui sputtered indignantly, not knowing whether to be angrily and rightfully offended or to be hurt and shed tears of pain at his stinging words. She gazed down, her answer found. "I can only apologise again. Please, if there is anything…anything I can do to make up for what I did, tell me…"

She choked back a sob. "This has been hurting me ever since… I don't know how many ways to tell you I'm sorry and that I'm regretful of how I treated you." Tears misted in her eyes. "You had always been so nice to me and honest, but I was too stupid to see it. I always am too stupid outside of the academic world…"

She fell to her knees, her hand resting against the wall. Her body was racked with uncontrollable sobs. "I was an idiot… I was too stupid to see that you were really the only one who cared about me. I hurt you, I know I did. Ever since you died, I've had so many sleepless nights where I've cried…"

She closed her eyes. "Suboshi..." she whispered. Looking up, she stood up, embracing him. "Please, say something…anything…"

"Don't touch me."

Bowing her head, she moved away. "Gomen…"

He turned his back to her. He folded his arms over his chest. "What do you want me to say? There isn't much for me to say." He shut his eyes. "When I came here, I didn't expect any reminders of the past, but that was shattered. It doesn't help that Taka is Tamahome's reincarnation. I see him everyday at work. It reminds me of everything wrong I did before. Then you and Miaka came along – that was another splash of cold water – and brought more reminders of the past. You ask why I'm being this way… Who wouldn't be when they don't want to be reminded of old sins? When just the sins and misdeeds of this life is enough to burden the soul?"

Yui stood against the opposite walls, her fingers wiping her tears away. This hadn't been anything she had been expecting.

"You know what? Remembering the past isn't so great. I am actually jealous of Taka… He's the lucky one; he doesn't have to be reminded of his sins and past." Shannon added. He sighed. "And you know what? Screw this, it bites remembering that other life. It was better off not remembering, or at that, dead."

He turned his back on her and turned to leave. He was done his shift. Maybe permanently. He was prepared to go back to the small apartment he had in downtown Tokyo. There he'd find his sanctuary.

It was painful seeing Yui… How she reminded him of the past…

"Can you at least share your phone number? I could use a good friend, one I could trust; one that I know…" Yui whispered, as she watched Shannon leave. She didn't move to stop him. She just spoke, hoping that maybe something would sink in.

Turning back to her pleas, Shannon relented in that respect. Maybe she was truly regretful. But he knew he couldn't trust her right away. He reached into his pocket and took out a small piece of paper and pen. Writing down his phone number and address he gave it to her and left.

Taking it, she let him begin to leave. She studied the number for a minute before she called out. "Shannon! Shannon, wait up!" she ran up, joining him. "Wait, don't go, maybe we could do something." She touched his arm, smiling up at him. "You know, I missed you…a lot. I missed having you to talk to."

She sighed wistfully. "You know, being reminded of the past, isn't such a bad thing. At least you can be reminded of the good things. There were times when we were able to be alone and enjoy each other's company. You were a good friend to me and I've regretted treating you like I did.

"You don't have to give me a second chance, but it would be nice…"

She leaned in, staring at him, her eyes filled with sincerity. "There were things I had wished I could have told you… Just before you died, I started to realise that you really weren't like any other guys I ever knew…and that… _Aishiteru_…"

Shannon felt a gasp catch in his throat. He didn't know how to respond to that. He gazed away. There was a small part of him that still felt for Yui. Then there was that bitter part of him that dwelled in the unpleasantness of the past.

He considered her words. He did have to admit that she was true about them having the starts of a good friendship from the past. She did have her own problems from the past. Maybe there was a chance for him to find this other of her and for her to prove herself otherwise.

This was one thing Taka didn't have – that second chance! He didn't have his memories with him and Miaka. Shannon had his; his with Yui, his twin and that whole life.

True Taka did serve as a painful reminder, but that was a minor issue he could ignore. When Yui came around, he couldn't. He had to face it. How he had loathed the reminder until he heard her words; the words of apology, regret and compassion. She had felt the same way…

He gazed at her. Maybe there was a new beginning for both…

"Want to go for coffee?"

"Hai!"

**END**


	6. Chapter 6

Never Again Never Again

_He's drunk again  
It's time to fight  
She must have done  
Something wrong tonight  
The living room  
Becomes a boxing ring  
It's time to run  
When you see him  
Clenching his hands  
She's just a woman  
Never again_

(Nickelback, _Never Again_, Silver Side Up)

She raised her hand and arm to defend her-self against his onslaught as he stared down at her, hatred written over his face, as the stench of stale alcohol wafted from his breath. His hand reached out, seizing her wrist, squeezing tightly. She cried out, tears of pain streaking her face as she struggled to get from his grip. She tried to pull away, but it was a vain attempt.

"We've been through this before. You are not to see other guys! You're my girlfriend and I thought I already made it clear that you aren't to talk or look at them!" he growled, as he pulled her closer. She recoiled at the smell of alcohol on his breath. He only got like this when he had one too many of those beers at the history club.

She held back. She needed to find a way to get out of his grip. She could feel his hand tightening around, and a growing redness spreading where he held her. She couldn't fight back. She could only wait it out…

"I don't care if your little friends talk to guys. You will look down and away. I'm the only one you will ever look at!" he raised his hand, striking her hard. As he did, he released her wrist, which sent her tumbling to the floor.

She didn't move to get up. She just continued to lie on the floor, hoping he would end this tirade and leave her in peace. Of course, that was a fifty-fifty chance depending on how drunk he was and how possessive he was feeling. Normally he was possessive, but the alcohol coursing his blood amplified this.

She shut her eyes tightly and prayed for this to end.

He raised his hand again, but lowered it. He snorted derisively. "Stupid woman. Learn your place. Just because you were Miko of some destitute country doesn't give the god given right to prance around like a little slut!"

He turned and left the room.

She gazed up once he had left. Tears welled up in her eyes as she drew her legs closer to her body. She had only spoken to a young man who was the reincarnation of Suboshi. They had only gone for coffee, nothing more.

Clutching her books tightly to her chest, she moved carefully from her first period class. She intended to move quickly so none of her friends saw her. She knew that they would sense that something was amiss and she didn't want to have to explain it. They were a perceptive bunch, especially her best friend Yuuki Miaka.

Her eyes darted around quickly before she ducked into the girl's bathroom. Sighing in relief, she went into one if the stalls and locked it. She would wait here until the last few seconds before the bell for the next period would ring. She knew she would be risking a mark on her otherwise immaculate attendance record, but it was a small price to pay for her privacy.

She sat quietly on the toilette seat, her books at her feet, disguising her motives as being a need to go to the bathroom. She sighed softly. She had to be careful on how she sat. The attack last night had left her bruised terribly. Fortunately, she could cover up the blemishes with her school uniform and no one would be the wiser.

She kept her eyes down so no one could see the anguish and trauma dancing in them. She knew if they even took a brief glimpse, they would know of her pain and would force her to tell all. That she didn't want to do. She didn't rely on anyone and she didn't want to relay her own issues to anyone.

She had no one she to rely on when she had been in Kutou… That was until she met Suboshi. Then everything changed. She had never told him, but he had been the only one she could fully trust. She had felt no qualms in telling him her deepest thoughts, dreams and fears.

She shut her eyes, her thoughts trailing to him.

A few days ago she had been reunited with him in a strange turn of events. What had been an innocent trip out for after school snack with Miaka turned out to be a date with fate.

Shannon. She smiled briefly at the thought of the bitter reticent youth whose main tag line was a simple monosyllabic grunt, which had a wide range of purposes. She knew he didn't say much, but he did listen. She appreciated that a lot. Kajiwara Tetsuya never did that! The guy only cared to hear the sounds of his own voice.

In bitter resentment, she scowled at that. That was one reason she was starting to hate him. That and the petty childishness over whether or not she had spoken to another guy. That just sent him into white blind rage. But yet, she couldn't break up with him. She didn't know why. It just seemed right that she was with. She knew she had to get rid of him before he wound up killing her one-day in a jealous rage of anger.

She felt trapped. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to turn to Shannon, but she didn't want to burden him with her problems. She knew that from the look in his eyes that he had enough issues to deal with without having to shoulder hers as well.

She gazed up, jolted from her melancholic state by the bell that announced its presence. She sighed morosely. She should get to class, but she didn't feel up to it today. She wanted to skip, something she rarely did, and at that, with Miaka.

She silently opened the stall. Scrutinising the immediate vicinity, she nodded and made her way out. The halls were vacant. Not a sound echoed off the concrete walls and the steel lockers. The only resonating sound was the delicate sound of her shoes as she wandered down the corridor. It was an odd sensation to be alone in these hallways…

"Hongou!"

Hongou Yui jumped, yelping in surprise, as she was caught off-guard. She turned quickly, her honey blonde hair whipping over her shoulder. She bowed humbly. "_Hai, senpai_?"

"Do you have a hall pass?"

"_Iee_…" she shook her head.

Clunking her tongue in disapproval, the senior student and hall monitor whipped out her pen and note pad. With an air of authority, she stared down disdainfully at the freshmen that dared to be in the hall without a pass. Quickly she drew up the detention slip and handed it over.

"Be gone from my sight, _kohai_." The senior curtly ordered before she pivoted and strutted back in the opposite direction, her air dictating her authoritative position.

Waiting until her senpai had left, Yui turned and walked in the opposite direction. Stopping at a trashcan, she pulled out her pen and quickly changed the make-up of the kanji then crumpled the detention slip into a ball and dropped it into the trash can and no one was the wiser.

Moving stealthily, she left through the backdoor of the academy and made a beeline for the university. She knew that Shannon would be in class. If not, he would be in the library studying. She knew he didn't have work until about five in the afternoon. She wanted to use this to her advantage and spend time with him despite Tetsuya's threats.

Placing her school bag on the ground, she reached in and took out her outdoor shoes and removed her indoor ones, placing them in the bag along with her books. Strapping on her outdoor shoes, she picked up the bag, slinging it over her shoulder.

Pushing strands of honey blonde hair from her face, she turned her back to the school and trotted down the steps quickly before someone else would see her and issue her a detention slip. It was just a couple of more paces to the gates…

"Yui-chan" a chipper female voice called from behind.

Turning, Yui gazed over her shoulder at the sight that was the ever-optimistic Miaka. She smiled wanly at her friend as the girl bounced over eagerly.

"_Sensei_ called out your name on roll call and you didn't answer! I was in the bathroom and I heard him from outside the room, so I decided to find you." Miaka replied, smiling happily at her best friend. She moved next to her taller friend. "Why didn't you come to class?"

"I didn't feel like it."

"The genius Hongou Yui skipping school without her Yuuki Miaka? Of course, Yui doesn't need to study, she knows everything!" Miaka winked at her friend. "You should have waited for me and we could have skipped together."

"_Sumimasan_, Miaka…" Yui shrugged. "I didn't see you when I decided…"

"You could have waited for me after class!" Miaka whined. She pouted, folder her arms over her chest.

"I didn't want to wait for you to join the living world."

"I wasn't sleeping in class."

"Then what do you call it when you dose off while _Sensei_ is giving his lecture?" Yui asked pointedly.

"I was listening very deeply to what he was saying." Miaka replied with extreme sombreness to her tone.

"So, is that why you started to mutter more about Taka again?!" Yui pressed. The guy in question was a friend of Shannon's, who also went to the same university and worked at the same café. The only difference was that Taka didn't have his memories as Tamahome, where as Shannon had his memories as Suboshi.

Miaka blushed a deep crimson. "_Saaa_…"

Yui winked. "It's ok, I won't tell him." She then reached over and wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders. "C'mon, I was going over to the campus to see Shannon. Maybe you can see Taka then, since he has a similar class schedule as Shannon."

Giggling, Miaka peered closely at her friend. "Does Yui-chan have a crush on the new guy?" She gasped. "You're breaking up with Tetsuya-san?" Her eyes glazed over with sadness. "He hit you again, didn't he? He's back to acting like he owns you? Yui-chan! Why aren't you going to say anything? Why are you going to let him hurt you?"

"_Watashi…watashi wa_…"

"_Hai_, Yui-chan?" Miaka peered closely at her friend, waiting for an answer. She didn't trust the look in her friend's eyes. She had known Yui for a long time and knew when her friend wasn't telling the truth and when something was hurting her…deeply. Her brow furrowed in concern as she waited for a response.

Yui instead, falsely smiled, fear dancing in her eyes. She didn't want to tell. She hated to lie to Miaka, but it seemed so easy now. She was used to doing it. She didn't need to think twice about doing it. She had easily lied to Miaka about how she got the scar on her wrist. Why should now be any different than before?

Sighing sharply, Miaka folded her arms back over her chest as she cast a piercing gaze over at her friend. She knew she was being lied to and was about to get fed another dose of the never-ending lies.

"Miaka, it's ok. I'll deal with it. He only did it once and it wasn't his fault. I might have caused it. If I did, then I deserved what I got." Yui explained softly, her eyes haunted with anguished pain.

Miaka sighed sadly, wondering how much longer she would have to listen to these lies.

They had gone to the campus and only found Taka. He made no mention of Shannon. That was until Yui asked about the youth. Taka explained that Shannon had skipped out early and was likely going to be headed back for Ireland. Why, he said, he didn't know. He added that there was a chance that it was because the guy was likely gathering his possessions because he was moving to Tokyo permanently.

Yui felt her hope briefly soar, but it vanished quickly as she caught sight of Tetsuya, the last one she ever wanted to see. At least Shannon wasn't around. That way she could dainty danced around her reasons for being here and make Tetsuya believe she was hear to see him. She wasn't going to tell him otherwise. She additionally prayed Miaka would have a brief moment of common sense.

Briefly glancing over the group, Tetsuya nodded and moved next to Yui. "Ah, you decided to skip school to come and see how the rest of us get educated? C'mon, the history club is meeting shortly. We're discussing _Shijin Tenchisho_."

"I thought that book was eternally closed…" Yui whispered; wincing as she recalled the last time she had been taken in. It had involved having her nearly replace the original Genbu no Miko, Okuda Takiko. It also included watching Suboshi, in his twin's body; give his life for her, yet again. She didn't need to revisit that, even if it meant just looking at the book. The mere sight of it sent shivers down her back.

Miaka gazed up. "Ne, didn't _Oniichan_ say that we were going to try and get rid of the book? Why are we going to go through it again? Wasn't there enough pain already?"

Yui smiled softly. Finally, Miaka was exercising common sense! Well, at least as far as she was concerned.

Taka, meanwhile, was blissfully ignorant to the truth of this book and had no comprehension about its damage factor. He had heard of it, but really had a hard time grasping that something like this could exist. He remembered Miaka had told him quite a bit about the book, but she always seemed to stop short. He felt that there was something more, something important... Something he should know. Still, he said nothing in that regard.

"It just resurfaced again and that's all I know. Keisuke wants to look into it." Tetsuya explained.

Yui wanted no part of this. She wanted to forget that the whole circumstance existed. Tetsuya and Keisuke kept bringing up the topic, while she and Miaka tried to forget. Taka didn't do much to help either side. Actually, to Yui, his lack of action was serving the purposes of Tetsuya and Keisuke.

Quietly she tried to slink away.

"Ah, ah…trying to get away? That won't be so easy." Tetsuya reached over and affectionately, or so from his point of view, put an arm around Yui, drawing her closer. "It won't be so bad. Keisuke didn't actually mention the book being there, just mentioned it."

"It's not that. I'm just tired."

Tetsuya arched an eyebrow and leaned in whispering nastily, "it's because you didn't come here to see me and because you wanted to see that little psychotic bastard! Isn't that right? You don't care about seeing me? You're my girlfriend, start to act like it."

"I am just tired! It doesn't mean a thing!" Yui hissed, pulling away and moving across the quad quickly without another word. She didn't want to wait around for him to catch up with her and start this all over again.

She fled to the sanctuary of her house. That was the only place where she would be safe from Tetsuya's possessive grip. Slamming the door behind her, she leaned against it, feeling that safety as the thought crossed her mind, sending shivers of terror down her spine.

She sunk to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. She shut her eyes tightly, praying that maybe she could find Shannon again. Tears fell from her eyes as she thought about his mysterious disappearance. She hoped he would at least call her…anything! She could feel safe just being near him. He had defended her honour, her very life at the risk of his.

It would be hours that past during which she would not hear a word from him. Her despair grew during this small time frame, her mind slowly spiralling down into the purgatorial fires of insanity. She didn't know much more she could take.

She wanted to escape and she wanted to escape now. She needed the quickest route possible.

The image of her boyfriend haunted her worst nightmares. He seemed so kind and sane in public, yet in private, he was a monster, greed consuming his soul in its iron claw grip. She feared him most when he had been out drinking with Keisuke. She didn't care if a drunken Keisuke lurked around her. He was just stupid, but he never hurt her. Tetsuya was another story entirely. He was a violent drunk with a tendency to lash out against Yui, making her a trapped victim.

She refused to talk to anyone. She knew that her body was slowly getting covered in unexplained cuts, bruises and abrasions, along with a sprain or two that went untreated. She didn't want to see medical help because she feared that she would be found out then Tetsuya would learn about it and the cycle wouldn't end and if nothing else, it would get worse.

Slowly, she stood up, making her way to her room where she would find solace…

Shutting the door securely behind her, Yui locked it.

_I'm terrified that  
She'll wind up  
Dead in his hands  
She's just a woman  
Never again_

Been there before  
But not like this  
Seen it before  
But not like this  
Never before  
Have I ever  
Seen it this bad  
She's just a woman  
Never again

Concerned for the well being of her friend, Miaka excused herself early from the group, saying goodbye to Taka before asking him in private where she could find Shannon.

Finding Miaka's request strange, Taka responded with a tone that reflected that, but he didn't say anything on that issue. "You have to go to the old downtown area and toward the pier. His flat is in that area, about two blocks south of the Hilton."

Nodding, Miaka expressed her thanks and reached up, kissing Taka on the cheek. She smiled at him, mirth and glee twinkling in her green eyes. "_Arigatou_." She kissed him again on the cheek and pulled away. "Call me tonight, ne?!"

Once receiving Taka's response, Miaka sprinted from the area. She could only see the hurt and fear in her friend's eyes. She knew Yui was hurting and that when her friend was hurting; she held back and never said a thing. She had learnt this from when they had been drawn into the world of _Shijin Tenchisho_. Yui had taken matters into her own hands and Miaka still felt badly for that because she could have done something that would have changed the whole course of events and maybe for the better. Nonetheless, it didn't turn out like that and Yui had made a pathetic but nevertheless an attempt to take her life by slitting her wrist.

She needed to get on a bus or subway fast. She took out her rail card and searched for the closest entrance. It wasn't too far. Spotting it from the end of the quad, she dashed for it, her school bag trailing behind her. She passed the exit, and trotted down the stairs to the entrance of the light rail, her card ready to go through the machine without delay. Now as long as the train would be nice, she would be happy.

She let out a growl of annoyance as she heard the train and felt the wind as it went by, just before she got to the platform. She cast a death glare at the departing train's rear, cursing it. She wished that for once she had been on time in order to catch the train. It never ran on time as far as she was concerned.

Sighing, she leaned against the post, waiting patiently for the next train to go to the old downtown. This would take a while.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the cell phone her mother had given her when she started high school. It was only for when Miaka had an emergency or was going to be late getting home. It wasn't for play.

She gazed at the display and started to dial the number in. She remembered it so well because Yui had shown her the paper that Shannon had written it on and had mistakenly left it in the textbook that she had lent Miaka.

Pressing the send key, Miaka brought the cell phone to her ear and waited patiently for Shannon to answer.

Groaning as he seized a towel and wrapped it around his waist. He made a run for the phone, dripping water over the floor. Shaking out his hair, Shannon reached down, picking up the phone and brought it to his ear.

"Cheers, speak to me."

"Oi, Shannon, Yuuki Miaka calling. I need you to do something."

"Hey Miaka, what's happening?"

"I need you to go check on Yui-chan. She was acting strange today. She's been acting like it for a while now, it's now getting worse." Miaka explained softly, concern lacing her voice.

Arching an eyebrow, Shannon brought up the towel to his head and continued to dry off as he listened to Miaka before he replied. "How so? You've got to remember, that I don't know her as well as you do, so I don't know if she's acting strange or normal."

Miaka exhaled thoughtfully. "She isn't herself. She's anxious, jumpy. She's normally very calm and can take a lot in stride. Now she seems nervous and always looks over her shoulder now and seems to be quieter in the presence of me when Taka is around, even more so when Tetsuya-san comes around. She is also like this with _Oniichan_." She sighed. "How does she act around you?"

"She's nothing like that. She is, however, very clingy. She actually kind of scares me. I never thought the day would come when I would tell a girl to give me breathing space. She has requested to stay over here before. I've let her. Though, if I touch her, her reaction is never the same. Sometimes she responds by acting aggressive and flirtatious, other times she has recoiled and told me not to do anything."

"Shannon, are you aware that she has a boyfriend?"

"No, because I don't expect that someone that would, acts that way."

"Well, she does. She's seeing Tetsuya-san…"

"That drunken history club friend of Taka, who hangs out with Keisuke-senpai?!"

"Sure…" Miaka rolled her eyes at the description. She got the feeling Shannon may not like Tetsuya much to start with.

_Haven't you heard  
"Don't hit a lady"?  
Kickin' your ass  
Would be a pleasure_

Shannon's eyes narrowed. He remembered the way this guy used to speak about this mysterious girl. Now the girl now had a face and identity.

His free hand clenched into a ball, his chi flaring, the character of _kaku_ appearing on his left shoulder. An azure blue aura glowed around him. "Excuse me, but I have something to go take care of."

Miaka sighed. She knew that Tetsuya would be a statistic very shortly. She had been around Shannon only a short time but had an acute awareness of the young man's temper. He seemed docile and reserved when spoken to in a casual situation, but when irritated, he had a fierce temper. She recalled one time when she and Yui had been around him and a couple of so-called tough guys started to give them a hard time. The hard look in Shannon's eyes was something would never forget. It had been only a split second. A lot happened. He had turned sharply, facing them, quickly disposing of them both without warranting a bead of sweat to form on his forehead. His agility terrified and awed her.

Afterward when they were alone, he had told them that he was a practicing assassin and a fighter in the IRA, who was only bussing tables in Tokyo because he refused to work for the Yakuza, for he had strong loyalties to a group back in Belfast. He did individual work here, but nothing for any one particular group.

With this knowledge, Miaka feared for Tetsuya and not because she had sympathy for him, but because he had no way of fighting back again Shannon. Tetsuya was the best friend of her older brother, Keisuke. She had always thought that the guy was decent… That was until she noticed that Yui was acting differently.

Clearing her throat, she replied, "Shannon, could you wait on killing Tetsuya-san and go check on Yui-chan? She left the campus before I did and she did pretty much when Tetsuya had shown up."

Nodding, Shannon sighed. "Give me a couple of minutes and I'll get over there." He pause then added. "Tell Kajiwara that I will deal with him…personally."

"I pity him." Miaka replied. "_Ja, matta ne_!"

Returning the same response, Shannon hung up and went to his room to; quickly change into something, anything. He didn't understand what Miaka had been saying, but if there was anything wrong with Yui, he would do what he could to help. He knew he would never admit, but he still loved her.

He went for his room, dropping the towel on the floor as he entered. Still dripping water, he began to dress. First he put on the boxers, using it to wipe off any water as he did so. Pulling out a shirt, vest and a pair of jeans, he pulled them on before stopping in front of the dresser and grabbing a hair tie and pulling his damp sandy brown hair into a loose braid.

He picked up his keys and cell phone, putting on sandals as he left the house.

The car at his disposal was a Mercedes-Benz. It was an elegant black car with a simple spoiler. The car was a two-seater with an attitude. It would have been a beauty; save for the evident presence of dings and dents on the body and no shortages of scratches.

Gunning it, he tore out of the parking space and up the road. He drove like a maniac, or so it would appear to any non European or non-Asian. He used all surfaces; sidewalks, street, barricades. He also took the speed signs and lights as a suggestion.

There were tire marks where he turned the corners sharply and where he stopped unexpectedly, including in front of Yui's home. He haphazardly parked the car half on the sidewalk and half on the street in the process blocking the fire hydrant.

Getting out, he nodded, satisfied with his parking job. It would do for now.

Knowing damn well Yui locked the door, Shannon took out a hair pin he had and immediately sought to pick the lock. He had a feeling that she wouldn't answer the door… It was just one of those things, you know. Personal experience taught a person a lot when it came to dealing with those things they didn't teach you in school, such as picking locks and slitting your wrists.

Once in, he closed the door behind him. He had been to the house before, so had a fairly decent idea of how to find his way around.

Subconsciously, he took off his sandals. He was used to doing that from his year here in Tokyo.

Moving through stealthily, he kept his chi open, trying to track Yui. He familiar with hers; it was carried over into this life from his days as a Seiryuu Seishi and loyal protector of the Miko. He had turned his chi to be in stride with hers.

He came upon the door to her room. Noting the crack he groaned to himself. Why did he feel he was about to deal with a knife-wielding suicidal feminine version of himself? He did because he was!

Darting forward quickly, he didn't think to use telekinesis and keep his distance, instead, he found himself grappling with Yui for the knife, which she had already used against herself on her right wrist. Shannon had noted this and had been careful when he made his move.

"Give it to me!"

"Let me go! You're hurting me!"

Panicking, Shannon let go of Yui's wrist. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her.

He wasn't going to let her get away with this either. "Put it down, now!"

"What do you know?" she spat at him.

"I know damn well what you're doing isn't going to kill you. You're not going to get anywhere." Shannon replied calmly, even though in side he was freaking out.

Yui snorted derisively. She kept her icy gaze on him and dragged the blade upward, making a deep cut from the slit. To her foggy mind, Shannon's attempt to stop her was a form of control. Just like Tetsuya was trying to control her, she felt that Shannon was about to do the same and didn't see the logic in his motives.

He winced at her move, the sound of tearing flesh echoing through the small room. He was experiencing a major case of déjà vu.

Sighing morosely, he knew he was powerless to stop her…

A thought them crossed his mind. He'd let her, or better yet, show her himself. Calmly, he unbuttoned the cuff of his sleeves and rolled them up to reveal hideous criss-crossing scars. Some were darker than others. Some were placed in a calculated manner while others were random.

He held out his hand. "Fine, if you want it to be that way, I'll show you how it's done."

Yui blinked at him, her vision hazy. She didn't understand. He had been trying to stop her before, but now he was not going to… Somehow that didn't make sense…

Shannon hid his smile under an expressionless poker face. He used Yui's brief shock to seize the knife and brought it to his own wrist. Without so much of a second thought, he slit his left wrist and switched it between hands and proceeded to do it to his right.

"Shannon! What are you doing?!" Yui exclaimed, her cerulean blue eyes wide in shock. She reached over, touching her hand to his.

"Exactly what you did." He replied flatly.

Tears welded in her eyes. He was hurting himself because of her? She had always felt guilty for hurting him before. This only added to that accumulated guilt. "Why? Why are you doing this?"

"If you can, so can I."

Yui gasped softly and looked away. That stung. A small cry escaped from her and she turned back, throwing herself at Shannon. "_Gomen…gomen nasai_…"

He smiled softly. "It's ok." He pulled back and left the room, causing Yui to give a short sob. She dropped to her knees, thinking that he didn't care about her. Tears fell down the contours of her face.

Returning, Shannon knelt next to her. He placed the small first aid kit down and took out the small bottle of rubbing alcohol and cotton. His eyes were bright and serious with concentration as he took Yui's wrist in his and began to clean it, after he applied pressure to stop the bleeding. Bandaging the first, he gazed up at her as he worked on the second, not caring that he was bleeding.

His eyes pierced her intently. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?"

"I… I… I don't know…" Yui choked on a sob. "I didn't know how else to get out of it…"

"Out of what?" Shannon asked patiently, as he cleaned and bandaged the second wound.

She looked at him, her eyes filled with sadness. "My…my relationship with Tetsuya… I…I didn't know any other way." Tears fell down her face.

A soft chuckle escaped Shannon. "Baka." He smirked. "You could have just come to me."

Yui felt a groan at bay. "What good would that have…?"

"Done?" Shannon finished. "He'd be permanently out of commission."

"Shannon!" Yui whined. "I just wanted him out of my life, not killed!"

"But it would have been good for me." He whispered, as he gently pushed her down on the bed. He leaned in over her. "It would have freed you up."

"Shannon…" Yui stared up at him. Okay, so she was shocked to say the least. She hadn't expected him to react like this. She had strong feelings for him, but never had the chance to act on them before, and as a result wound up with someone less than what she wanted.

Zeroing in, he softly cupped her mouth with his, kissing her passionately.

A blush crept over her features. She had dreamed of this before, even in the early stages of her and Tetsuya's relationship. Even when things had been going well, she had dreamed about being in the arms of another man.

"_Gomen nasai_…" Shannon pulled back after a minute. He stared down, his sandy brown bangs falling in his face. "I lost my head for a minute."

"_Daijoubu ka_…" Yui whispered, touching a hand to his face. Her thumb caressed the old scar on his left cheek. "You didn't do anything wrong." She explained, as she pushed him off her.

Sitting up, she then reached over and took the first aid kit. With the same items he had used to treat her self-inflicted wounds, she set to work to return the favour. Taking his left wrist in his, she gazed into his eyes. "I'm returning the favour. You saved my life and stopped me from doing something I would have regretted."

A thankful smiled caressed his features. "_Arigatou_, Yui-chan." Shannon touched his free hand to her face.

"It's okay, really, I don't mind. You saved my life; the least I can do is to stop you from hurting." Yui explained.

"No, the least you can do is dump Kajiwara." He replied bluntly and kissed her again, softly whispering against her lips, "_aishiteru_."

"Shannon…" Yui gasped; her eyes wide. Never had she expected this, especially considering he had been so proper with her earlier. He had always been cautious around her and didn't openly express himself. He had always kept to himself, but that's not to say he hadn't been kind toward her.

She leaned in after she finished bandaging his left wrist. "I wish I had a chance to tell you before you died how I felt. You know, I did feel the same, I just didn't know how to express myself."

Kissing him lightly, she continued, "_aishiteru…zutto_…"

Taking her in his arms, he lay back, holding her close…

**END**


	7. Chapter 7

Too Bad

**Too Bad**

_It's too bad, it's too bad  
Too late  
So wrong, so long  
It's too bad that  
We had no time to rewind  
Let's walk  
Let's talk, let's talk_

It was a time of peace.

There was just the quiet hum of the engine that ran the fridge that resonated in the back alley the café.

He had for company malodorous, decomposing rubbish, various breeds of parasites, bacteria and rats, as well as a lovely assortment of miscellaneous leftovers from the last kegger at the nearby frat house.

Inhaling a long drag from his joint, he sighed, as he leaned leisurely against the cold brick wall, enjoying the solitude he had on his break, as pathetic as it was.

Nothing could disturb him now, except of course for the sound of his boss's voice ordering him in a stern beckon back to work. How he hated the sound of that man's voice. It really grated his nerves every time that man opened his mouth.

Nothing pleasant ever came out of his boss's mouth. It was always an order.

The young man, Shannon O'Kelly, swore his boss was prejudice against him because he was a _gaijin_ – a foreigner – because he always got the worse jobs, such as doing almost all of the clean up, and a lot of hauling, in addition to slaving on the tables for the few pitiful amounts of Yen he got for every hour he slaved away there trying to earn some scratch.

"Shannon!"

The young man gritted his teeth. 'Not again! Can't that bastard back off for one fucking minute?'

Again, the voice called out.

He then relaxed, realising it wasn't his boss calling out for him to return his "worthless gaijin hide back to work"...

"Shannon… Shannon!" Hongou Yui called out, as she toward him, as he raised a lit joint to his lips while on break behind the university café. She was nearly out of breath as she waved to him, running over, waving her hand in the air; later revealed to be a piece of paper she was waving quite frantically.

The young man, Shannon, also the reincarnation of Suboshi gazed up, arching a thin eyebrow at her. He never quite knew what to expect with Yui. She was unpredictable, highly volatile at times and stubborn; the perfect match for him. This was one of those moments when she wasn't at all predictable.

He dropped the butt of his joint to the ground and extinguished the smouldering ashes with the toe of his shoe. "Yeah?" he asked, looking over, or rather down at her as she stopped beside him, leaning against the wall trying to catch her breath.

He poked her playfully. "So, out with it, what do you want exactly?" he asked, his deep blue eyes rested firmly on her, his voice low.

"I've been chosen to be the coordinator for this upcoming international music festival for the region. I get to arrange all the incoming orchestras… It's going to be so cool!"

After a moment, he asked, "Are you going to have time for school, what with also being student body vice president and everything?"

"I'm not worried about that. They're having a by-election for that. I resigned my position after I was chosen for this." Yui explained, still slightly out of breath. She exhaled and continued, "this music festival is all for young musicians, as well as all artists. It's put on by the Tokyo Philharmonic. I was chosen to be coordinator after Kaitou-sensei, who is a senior conductor with them put in the good word."

"Sounds like a great chance for you." Shannon replied, smiling, as he wrapped an arm around her. "You are the perfect candidate for it."

Her face lit up. "Thanks!" she said, and still smiling, she added with renewed zeal, "It is also a good chance to help you find your brother! He might still play the flute and be a musician…"

Shannon slammed his fist against the wall. "Don't talk about Amiboshi! I have no brother! That bastard left me for the wolves before and did it several times; he lied to me through his teeth. Screw being reincarnated, I don't care if I see him ever again!" he seethed scathingly, his blue eyes dark.

He turned sharply. "Excuse me; I have to get back to work." He said curtly, as he moved forward with purpose, not turning as Yui protested.

She sighed morosely. 'What did he do that was so bad? Oh, Shannon… I hate it when you act like this. You're only hurting yourself. We both know what happens when you act like this…' she thought, as she gazed down at the piece of paper she held.

Folding it, she put it in the pocket of her school uniform and crossed her arms over her chest. 'I know you don't want to ever see your brother again because you feel abandoned and hurt, but, you've both been reincarnated and everyone deserves a second chance…'

"Yo."

Yui nearly jumped out of scared. Whoever just placed their hand on her head, as scared her witless, and they would pay for it!

Pivoting, she came face-to-face with Sukanami Taka, Yuuki Miaka's boyfriend/fiancé.

"Taka…" Yui smiled. She didn't mind him, but, she wasn't crazy about him. She found him to be slightly annoying at times, even if he did have good intentions.

"You look like something's wrong… Care to talk about it?" He asked.

Sighing, Yui nodded. "I guess…" she gazed at Taka, as she decided how to formulate her response.

Adjusting how she had her arms folded over her chest, she closed her eyes and began to tell Taka why she was upset. "You see, Shannon was separated from his brother again… and it seems they were reincarnated apart from the other…"

Taka tossed his tea towel over his shoulder. He shrugged. "That doesn't seem like such a big deal."

"It…it's not that. It's… Well, Shannon tensed up when I mentioned that there might be a chance for him to reunite with his brother. Instead of tasking well to it, he instead reacted as if I was speaking of his enemy." Yui cried, tears coursing down her face.

She wiped her face with the back of her hand. "I just feel so bad because his brother always meant so much to him. And…and…he's not any more stable mentally than he was before. He's more mature and refined, but, his mental state is no better than before. Actually, I think its worse… Oh, Taka! I don't want anything to happen to him!" Yui sobbed, collapsing against Taka.

Sighing, he placed a hand on Yui's head, gently stroking. "I think he might just be hurting still because he believes his brother willingly abandoned him."

"What should I do? I want him to be happy…" Yui whispered.

"Go with your gut instinct."

Yui looked up at Taka, who smiled softly at her, placing a hand on her cheek, wiping away a stray tear. "Yes, that might be the best way for you to go. There isn't a logical reason for everything. You have to act based on what you feel instead of think."

'Act on gut instinct…' Yui thought, as she contemplated the various consequences her actions may or may not have, depending on various mitigating and aggravating factors that would come into play if she was to do this.

It had been one week since he had left his home in Los Angeles in pursuit of this mysterious twin brother of his, who had tried to kill himself. Now, a week later, he was in Tokyo, with no real leads. The only thing he knew was that his twin was somewhere here. He had felt the chi radiate from this location. It felt strong here, even when it wasn't being outwardly emitted.

'I just have to find where it's coming from. I don't know if I will be able to or not; I hope I can. It would be great to find him again. I miss him so much. It hurts me that he did this.' He thought, as he sat down under a sakura tree.

"Jonathan? Oh good, you got here. I didn't think you would make it."

Jonathan Anderson gazed up at the man walking over. The man, like him was an American citizen. The man was also the conductor of the LA Philharmonic. What he was doing in Tokyo was beyond Jonathan.

"What do you mean make it? Why are you hear, sir?" he asked.

"I had mentioned at practice earlier this month that the group would be travelling to Tokyo for an international music festival for young musicians. I had sent out the information in the mail, including airline ticket information. I hadn't heard back from you, so, I assumed that your parents decided not to let you go."

Jonathan blinked dumbly. "Huh?"

His conductor sighed, a long heaving sigh. "Don't tell me you didn't get it… That you don't know…"

"But I honestly didn't!" Jonathan protested, feeling really stupid at the moment.

"Then how did you know to come to Tokyo?"

"Uh…" Jonathan didn't quite know how to express what had happened. It would sound utterly retarded to anyone who wasn't in any way shape or form, in his position. It was only something he understood.

He smiled sheepishly. "You see…uh…here's the thing…"

"Yes, I'm listening…" the older man replied, sound very patient, even though he wasn't.

"I never knew…"

"Then how…" the conductor; the older man, better known as Mr. Eric Davies, gazed pointedly at his protégé. "Yes, that's right, how did you know?"

"I…uh… Didn't you say something about it at practice earlier this month, Mr. Davies?" Jonathan replied weakly.

"Now, let's try the truth."

Jonathan groaned. Of course his lie wouldn't work. Why should it?

"You don't have an answer? I suspected as much." Mr. Davies replied, shaking his head.

Offering a half-smile, Mr. Davies placed his arm around Jonathan's shoulder. "At least tell me you brought your flute with you…"

"I never travel without it!" the young flutist replied quickly.

"Good because you're expected to be at practice at six a.m. everyday."

Jonathan let out a surprised squeaked.

"As long as you're staying at the Tokyo Hilton you'll be fine."

Jonathan blinked. Now it all made sense. He had checked into that hotel earlier in the week and had found it quite odd that they had his name on file and that all arrangements for his accommodations had been set. Nevertheless, he hadn't thought much of it at the time. It all made sense with all the puzzle pieces in place.

He grinned. "Yeah, I already checked in."

"Great, so you have no excuse not to be on time for practice." Mr Davies replied with a venomous sugar-coated tone.

Jonathan winced. "Yeah… I know, sir."

"Very good. Oh, and by the way," Mr. Davies added, as a secondary thought. "You're one of my first chair players, you're also doing a solo, and so, I expect you to be there today for three. The coordinator for the event will be there to meet everything and find out what our schedule is."

"Aye-aye, mon captain! I will be there!" Jonathan replied, giving a mock salute.

Rolling his eyes, Mr. Davies left, shaking his head. There were times when he didn't really understand Jonathan. The boy was far too odd at times, even for him.

Stretching back, as she wandered into the lobby of the Tokyo Hilton, Yui gazed around. It was certainly opulent, there was no doubt about it. It was lavishly decorated and with post-modern furniture as well as very chic contemporary lighting fixtures. Everything was placed so it perfectly complemented the next item.

'It must be so dreadfully expensive! It's a good thing we have sponsors to help us as well as the government. It's also nice that the university is sponsoring several scholarships.' Yui thought, as she wandered toward the room which had been set aside for the LA Philharmonic. She stopped and knocked on the door before entering.

She nodded at the older man, who was there. "Are you Mr. Eric Davies?" she asked in moderately accented English.

"Yes, and you're the coordinator?" Mr, Davies replied, smiling softly, offering out his hand.

"Yes, I am." Yui replied, and, instead of shaking his hand, she bowed. "I'm Hongou Yui."

Taking his hand, remembering the differences between the cultures, he apologised for his culturally insensitive actions.

After assuring him it was all right, Yui moved into the room.

"It seems I'm missing just one person…" Mr. Davies muttered.

Yui blinked, "who?"

"Just my first chair flutist," he replied.

"Don't worry about it. I can do everything I need to without him here." Yui explained and grinned. "I was with a friend of mine, but he stopped before we got here to fuel up on coffee…"

She stopped mid-sentence as Shannon came in carrying a couple of cups of coffee.

"Coffee, is that what you call this fucking rocket fuel?! Blah! This bloody shit is revolting!" Shannon remarked, interrupting Yui in mid-rant, as he made a face. He then smirked. "Time to Irish it up… Hold it." He handed it to her.

Mr. Davies blinked, staring in shock, as did the rest.

Shannon, who was recapping the flask smirked at them. "What? Haven't you yanks ever seen anyone put a shot of whiskey into their java?"

"It's not that…" Mr. Davies began to explain. "It's…"

"Well, out with it, you redneck."

"I am not a redneck!"

"Sorry, out with it, you inbred hick."

"Would you stop it already! Would it kill you to show some respect for your elders!" Mr. Davies exclaimed, glaring at the young man. It was now very obvious it wasn't Jonathan, but in fact, Jonathan's twin.

"No, it wouldn't kill me, but it might kill you." Shannon remarked sharply.

Placing a hand on Shannon's arm, Yui hissed. "Please be nice and don't kill anyone today. Just because you're a fly-by-night assassin doesn't mean you have to threat everyone with that phrase, Shannon!"

"Can I at least scare the fuck out of them?"

"Didn't I tell you to be nice?!"

"Nice has nothing to do with it…"

"I'd hate to break this up, but, who are you?" Mr. Davies asked, no, more like demanded, as he stared pointedly at Shannon. "You are one of the rudest people I've ever met, young man."

"Watch how you speak to me… That is, if you value your life." Shannon replied, stepping closer, his aura becoming strongly negative. "But, it seems you don't…"

Yui reached over and smacked Shannon. "I told you to be nice. If you can't, go outside and have a joint and wait for me."

"Hn…"

"That grunt had better be a yes!"

"Hn…."

Glaring at his back, Yui growled to herself. She didn't know why she liked him. At times he was the most singularly frustrating person she had ever dealt with. He was utterly insufferable. Nothing really seemed to affect him at times.

Sighing, she turned back to Mr. Davies. "I'm sorry about that. Shannon can be very insufferable at times."

"Thankfully there is only two of him…"

Yui stared incredulously at him. "There's two of him, really? Where's the other one?"

An impish youthful twinkle entered the conductor's eye. "The young man in question is coming in as we speak. I can introduce you to him afterward that way you can speak to him.

"Mr. Anderson, how kind of you to join us…"

Jonathan grinned modestly. "Sorry I'm late but…"

"You were distracted by the buffet on your way here." Mr. Davies replied good-naturedly.

"I… Touché!" Jonathan said, as he took a seat.

"Now that everyone is here, I'd like to introduce you all to the coordinator for the event. She is also the person you go to if you have to speak to anyone else there. She also oversees scheduling, among other things." Mr, Davies explained.

He then gestured at Yui, indicating for her to speak.

Clearing her throat, she bowed. "I'm Hongou Yui, the coordinator for the event. If you have any questions, can try and answer them for you."

"Yeah, I have one!" Jonathan remarked, putting his hand up. "Are refreshments going to be free for us, or do we have to pay?"

Yui's eye twitched. 'He is starting to remind me of Shannon…'

"The hotel will provide coffee and pastries for your morning practice and a basic dinner at night. Any other food you want you'll have to buy yourself from any one of the locations through out Tokyo."

"You mean it isn't all free?!" Jonathan pouted. Sulking, he folded his arms over his chest.

"Ok, any other questions…relevant questions?" Yui queried, gazing around. "If not, then, that's it. So, why don't you all introduce yourselves then."

Her request took about fifteen minutes because she, after getting the names of the other band members, she'd ask them something about them. Only after it was done, did Mr. Davies, when she was alone, drag Jonathan over to speak to her.

"Yui, this is the other young man; Jonathan Anderson."

"Thanks sir." She bowed and turned to Jonathan as Mr. Davies left. She smiled warmly at him and bowed. "It's nice to finally get to meet you, Amiboshi." She said, as she gazed back up.

Jonathan paled severely as she gazed up. How did she know his other name? There was only one possible reason, but, the odds were so narrow, it was utterly implausible. Even so, could this be that one slim chance he was vying for?

Swallowing, he nodded stiffly.

Yui smiled broadly and giggled happily. "This is great!"

"Depends on what you mean by that, Hongou-san." Jonathan replied, eyeing her cautiously. "It could mean that it's great because you can direct me to where my twin, or…" his tone instantly went from pleasant to bitter, "you found one of your seishi, Seiryuu no Miko."

"I'm happy I've found you and Shannon. It's much better than ever finding the others." Yui whispered, closing her eyes. "Your brother was the only one that I felt comfortable around. I always wanted to meet you. If he had that much faith in you, it meant you were a good person…"

She sighed morosely. She didn't say that this was the case now, because in fairness of truth, it wasn't.

Jonathan nodded and arched an eyebrow. "There is a 'but' somewhere in there, isn't there. What aren't you telling me?"

Yui blinked and laughed uneasily. "Well, you see, the thing about that is… how can, I put this… Uh…you, see, the thing is…Shannon, also better known as Suboshi, he's, changed…"

"I've changed too. That is logical enough, but, there is something you're still not saying. Tell me, I can take it. I came here looking for him…" Jonathan said, his hand touching the wrapped wound on his wrist. "I wanted to find him before he could do any more damage to himself. I felt his pain… it's was too much…"

He swallowed a large lump in his throat. "I didn't fear my own death then, so much as his…"

"That's understandable. I went through the same pain." Yui turned sorrowful eyes to Jonathan. "And it's all my fault that both of you were hurt…"

Placing an arm around Yui's shoulders, he smiled serenely. "No one's blaming you. If he likes you as much as he does, he probably doesn't blame you. No…he blamed himself for it… I remember it too well. I heard his voice while I was bleeding…"

He turned his wrist over and rolled up his sleeve.

Clapping a hand over her mouth, tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm terribly sorry! I didn't mean to make him do it; for it top hurt you! I never wanted either of you to hurt!"

She then, gasped and cried out, "Jonathan, hit the floor!"

"What? Why?"

Out of seemingly nowhere, a large vase flew at Jonathan's head.

He let out a yelp of surprise and dove to the floor, narrowly missed having been injured by the random flying object.

Cautiously, he gazed up, meeting the gaze of his mirror image.

"Do you have any last words?" Shannon growled scathingly, his deep ice blue eyes narrowed in contempt.

Barely above a whisper, Jonathan gasped out, "Shunkaku…" his eyes wide with both fear and relief. "_Otouto_…"

"Hn…_Aniki_…" Shannon retorted scornfully. He then reached into his jacket.

Before Shannon had a chance to remove his hand, Yui threw herself in front of Jonathan. "Shannon, stop this! I know you're hurting from before, but, doesn't he deserve a second chance? At least a chance to explain himself? If you were in his position, you'd want it, wouldn't you? Why are you acting like this? This isn't like you…"

Taking his hand in hers, she held it over her heart. "Do it for me, please…"

"It's too bad because it's too late." Shannon replied. "It's too late because he had the last life to do it. He shouldn't have fucked it up then…"

"Uhm… I don't want to risk getting my butt blown apart by you, but, if, my memory, as bad as it is, if it serves me correctly, I did leave you, but, our second last parting was willing on your part…" Jonathan protested.

"Yes, but, you offered me a mind-altering liquid." Shannon retorted.

"Please, stop this! I don't want to see you two fighting…" Yui looked over to Shannon. "Please give him a second chance? You were utterly lost without him. You weren't complete without him and he isn't complete without you. You two are two halves of a whole. IF you hurt him, you're hurting yourself."

She clutched his hand tightly. "For me… Give him a chance. I hate to see you hurting. I always wanted to see you happy. I felt bad when it was believed he was dead. You seemed so alone. It hurt me so much that you were hurting."

She continued to smile at him, encouragingly. "Shannon, I know you're hurting, but, it hurts you more if you don't try to resolve this.

"Remember, I gave you a second chance; you gave me a second chance. Jonathan already has given you a second chance by coming in search of you, now it's your turn to give him a second chance."

Growling indignantly, Shannon sighed, exhaling sharply. "Fine, but I am not going to like it!"

"I didn't say you have to."

"Hn…"

Jonathan, who had been listening the entire time, stood up. "You know, if it's not a good time for you, I… I can go elsewhere…"

"No!" Yui barked, reaching out, grabbing him by the wrist. "You came all the way here looking for him after he slit his wrists, and you are not about to go anywhere!"

Shannon arched an eyebrow perplexed. "How did you know?"

Jonathan didn't have a chance to reply before Yui took his wrist and turned it over, pushing up the sleeve.

His eyes widened slightly. "You… You still feel what happens to me…" he breathed, astonished to see that it still happened. "Then… it means it was your voice that I heard speak to me…pulling me back…"

Reaching out, Jonathan took Shannon's hand. "We were reincarnated for a reason… give me a second chance, and I won't leave you again."

"Hn… But, no one said I had to like it!"

"Uh…"

"Don't push it! This is as good as it gets." Yui explained. "Just appreciate it. He's not being stubborn."

She grinned. "Now, play nice!" she sang, as se waved at Shannon before she ran out of the room.

He turned a sour look to Jonathan. "I hate this as much as you do. So, let's get this over with."

Jonathan sighed. So, this guy wanted to be difficult? Somehow that really didn't surprise him. Nothing was ever easy for him. So, why should this be any different?

So, you hate me?" Jonathan said bluntly, his eyes turned to the ground, his sandy brown hair hanging in his eyes. "Some how, it doesn't surprise me. I kind of figured you were only being nice because your girlfriend told you to be. But, if you don't like me, then there is no point in you hanging around here. You're just going to be wasting your time."

"Just because I hate it, doesn't mean I won't give you a second chance." Shannon replied simply, with a touch of arrogance to his tone.

Jonathan again sighed, exasperated. This guy was so annoying. Of course, the heavy Irish accent didn't help matters at all!

"I need coffee, we're talk there."

Jonathan blinked. Now this guy was being so confusing!

"Stop acting like you're a daft wanker and move those useless clod hoppers and move your yankee arse!" Shannon called over his shoulder, as he stared back over his shoulder.

"Oh…coming." Jonathan replied quickly, slightly embarrassed that he hadn't responded right away.

'Maybe this will get somewhere. Maybe I'll have a brother again…' he thought, hoping his supposedly false hope would prove to be false and that he really would get his brother back and that he wouldn't be separated from him again.


	8. Chapter 8

Woke Up This Morning

**Woke Up This Morning**

_I paid my last respects this morning on an early grave_

_Already said goodbye… nothin' left to say_

_A tiny church, a tiny town and not a tear was spent_

_Not how I wanted it… I'm hating all of this_

Her honey blonde hair hung limply around her shoulders, heavy from the rain falling in sheets from the gloomy grey sky above. The droplets of rain that fell on her face, mixed in with the tears that streaked her face. She didn't make a move to wipe either from her face.

She closed her eyes tightly, feeling the hot tears flowing. There seemed to be an endless supply. She felt like she could cry for am eternity. It would never end. Her tears were her pain and her pain was the lost of the one man she ever loved and felt she could ever love. Her very soul felt like it had died with him, and now she was just another soulless being, roaming the earth aimlessly.

She didn't think she could ever feel emotion again. It had all been drained from her when they told her of his death, when they told her that he had died by his own hand. She had purged all her emotions in one anguished scream and now nothing else remained except an endless flow of tears.

She hadn't been able to bring herself to accept that he was dead. Even seeing him lying in the casket wasn't confirmation enough for her tormented soul. She had come to depend on him as the only one who was her kindred soul and understand her. She wasn't ready to give up yet… That was until she had to come face to face with the hole in the ground, the tombstone and the casket about to be lowered.

Her bottom lip trembled, a shiver lanced through her body before an anguished cry left her, as she dropped to her knees, breathlessly crying out his name…

"Shannon!"

She sat erect, drenched in sweat. She was breathing heavily, her eyes wild with frantic fear. This had been the forth night in a row she had been tormented with this vision of the death of the one man she loved. She didn't know why, but she just felt she would lose him again to death, even though he seemed invincible in every fight he got in, no one ever laying a finger on him.

Still trying to even out her breathing, she gazed around the darkness of the room, trying to remember where she was sleeping. That's right! Her parents were out of town again on a business related excursion, and she didn't want to spend her nights alone. It had started to get to her after she had come back from the other world. She had never acted on this desire before until Shannon had offered for her to stay with him when her parents were out of town.

She clutched the sheets to her body and gazed around the small living room. She had been set up on the futon chesterfield in the small modest living room. She didn't object, though she had wanted him to be in the same room, but knew that he was Catholic and quite proper in his conduct toward her. She, on the other hand, wasn't. Her family was Shinto, so they didn't hold the same belief system.

Giving a soft whimper, she gasped for air once last time, before lying back, her eyes open, now unable to sleep. She pulled the sheets up, her hands tightly clutching the fabric.

She didn't understand her dream, or why she had had it. It was all mysterious to her.

What did it mean? At least when Seiryuu had been in her dreams, she knew what it meant – he needed her help, but the dream about someone's death… Was it a nagging premonition? Did it mean something, or had it just been that she ate something she shouldn't have, and now it was coming to give her appropriate payback? Either way, she wanted answers, and needed them quickly.

'What does it mean?' She thought as she lay awake in the thick of the night's darkness. 'Why would I have had that dream? Is it important, or am I just losing my mind?'

Sitting up, she seat her feet on the floor. Sighing, she stood up and quietly walked over to the door that exited to the balcony. Once outside, she welcomed the rush of the cool night air against her warm flesh. The wind rustled her flimsy nightshirt, which was nothing more than the shirt that she wore with her uniform. Shivering, she brought her hands up to rub her upper arms, which were being chilled by the brisk cool air.

Carefully she stepped over to the railing and leaned against the cold black metal. Her eyes rolled over the city that lay out before her. The apartment was up on the eleventh floor quite easily; hence, her view was extensive. She could see the lights that lit up Tokyo from a distance away.

She again shivered as she felt the night breeze caress her skin, chilling it to the touch. She pulled back, her hands rubbing her cold upper arms as she continued to gaze around, trying to bring a sense of calm to her worried mind, as she remembered the images that the dream had entrenched so deeply into her mind.

She closed her eyes as she turned back to the door. 'Shannon, why am I getting so worked up? Why do I feel like something is going to happen to you that I will be responsible for? Why do I fear that I will see your death all over again?'

A gentle pair of arms embraced her from behind, pulling her up against a warm body. The soft voice whispered into her ear. "What's wrong, Yui-chan? What's keeping you up? Tell me, I sense that something is wrong."

"Shannon…" she turned her eyes behind her to her friend, a serene smile crossing her lips. "Nothing really, I just couldn't sleep. I'm fine, go back to sleep; I'm ok here alone."

"That may be the case, but, who wants to be alone?" Shannon whispered huskily, his breath brushed lightly against Yui's neck, as he lightly pressed his lips to her warm flesh, trailing a line of kisses down her smooth skin.

Her eyes widened in panic. She always wanted Suboshi to hold her like this, as he had on the past; she had wanted him to treat her as he always had, yet at the same time, make her feel like a woman, but, when her desire developed into reality, she didn't like the speed at which it went. He seemed too far experienced, especially as his hands moved gracefully over her body, exploring.

His hand slipped under her shirt, gliding over to where the clasp of the bra was, but, before she could say anything, he undid it in one swift motion. His hand moved over the full and mature breasts, gently tracing his fingers over the nipples.

Her bottom lip quivered, her eyes widened. She loved the sensual nature of the caress; yet, she didn't want this to go any further. She didn't know why, but she felt she didn't want to let this go any further.

She let out an inaudible cry. "Stop…"

He gazed up. "What's wrong, Yui?"

"I… Just stop…" she pulled away from him, pulling her shirt tightly around her body and moving away from him, without another word.

Blinking in confusion, Shannon remained still. He stared after Yui. After a moment of silence, he whispered, "how did I hurt you? I did something, didn't I? That's the only reason you've pulled away. Either that or you're repulsed by me…"

He turned his head away from Yui, hiding the burning tears that threatened to fall. He moved quickly, leaving the room, retreating back to his.

He locked the door behind him, his back pressed to the door. The reflection of the moonlight hit his chin, where thin traces of tears could be seen, freely falling down his cheeks. His eyes were hidden by the shadows created by his long bangs.

'Of course, I had to hurt her, didn't? Nothing is sacred when I'm around; everything becomes a sacrifice. No matter what happens, I always hurt the ones I love, Yui, aniki…' he closed his eyes. 'At least this time around aniki is spared my wrath of death. He won't get hurt by me. I won't have to worry hurting him. But, Yui-sama… no matter what happens, I always hurt her. I can't do anything right. God, I love her… I wish I could be with her, but, she still rejects me. I pushed it too fast.'

His gazed harden. 'Those awful men did this to her; now, I can't even convince her I have pure intentions. Kajiwara made it worse! That son of a bitch made her lose every last inkling of trust she could ever have, now, she doesn't trust me…'

He slumped down, his back still to the door. 'No matter what I do, I will always wind up hurting her, and that is the last thing in the world that I want to do…'

He then did the only thing he knew what to do in this situation, his hand reached out for the knife he always carried.

'I'm sorry, Yui…'

He gazed momentarily at his scarred forearms; horribly scarred forearms. The scars were jagged and roughly cut. They were both strategically placed, yet at the same time haphazardly executed. Many of them were dark; few were faint. But, every single scar he had, one could see. The light of the moon casting a shadow over the area highlighted these scars, which were soon stained with a splash of scarlet coloured fluids; blood, which dripped from an open wound at the wrist.

Under that cut, he made another slash, despite the screaming pain that sent electrical pulses through his body. More blood dripped; trickled down his wrist, falling from the tips of his blood coated hand onto the floor…

An anguished shrill scream escaped a young man, who had lowered his flute to switch his choice of sheet music. He fell from the chair, falling forward knocking the music stand over, scattering the sheets over the floor. The pages where his left wrist was became stained with the blood that seeped from the spontaneously opened wound.

'Why? Why is this happening?' he thought, tears coursing his face, as he struggled to come to grips of why this always happened. This was the third time now. There had to be a reasonable explanation for this.

He gasped. 'Shunkaku? Could it be? He's reincarnated?' He sighed.

Gazing up, he blinked, his eyes clouded over with pain. 'Of course, it has to be. No one else could possibly cause me to feel and be apart of this pain.

'I can only wonder where he is and what's he like…'

The young man, notably the reincarnation of Amiboshi struggled to sit up. Once in that position, he tore off his shirt and used it to bandage his own wound. He didn't feel resentful at having been victim to this, in fact he felt relieved. His twin brother, one he felt he had been cruelly separated from, was still out there.

'I can vaguely feel his chi. I just hope that he hangs on long enough so I can find him. I don't want to lose him before I can find him. But, in this world, where could he be?'

He groaned again, clutching his arm. 'And why are you trying to kill yourself? Why aren't you waiting for us to be together, Shunkaku? Do you believe that we won't get a chance to be real brothers?'

_I fear hurting Yui-san_…

A short gasp escaped the young man, as he felt a jolt of electricity burst in his mind, as a connection to his long lost twin brother. The sensation was incredible. He was linked to his mysterious twin.

He closed his eyes, seeing if he could bridge the connection and reply…

'Who is Yui-san?'

_She is Seiryuu no Miko-sama, aniki_…

'You still remember me, Shun-chan?'

_Yes, I can't forget my brother, even if I've never met him_.

'Then damnit, don't die before we can be reunited! I don't want to lose you again!'

_I'm sorry… I don't know what will happen now. I might live, I might not_…

'Maybe, you could hang on long enough for me to find you. Where are you?'

_I'm in Tokyo_.

'Wait for me… Please, don't die…'

Wrapping shirt tightly around his forearm, as he sighed, realising that this was the first contact his long lost twin brother. If he was lucky, it would be the first and not the last, though; he knew it would be too much to hope for. It seemed that the brother he had been waiting for all his life was about to die and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Or was there? He could try and get to Tokyo. That didn't seem too hard. All that involved was getting a plane ticket, paying for it, getting through customs, getting his bag, getting a map and figuring out his way around that city before his parents realised he was missing…

No, not that hard… It was impossible!

Sighing remorsefully, he sat down again. 'I can't give up… There has to be a way for me to do this without irritating the hell out of my parents.'

He gazed over at his desk and picked up his latest baking statement, and smiled to himself. It would seem he would have the funds to do this.

'Hang on, Shun-chan… I won't leave you like I did last time…'

His memories were clear as ever. He could remember everything… The civil war that tore their family apart killing their parents, leaving him and his brother orphans at the mercy of their cruel relatives; the maliciousness of Nakago on the road to summoning Seiryuu, and the lives that were put at risk, including his own life that he almost lost when he fell into the river. The pain and anguish he had put his twin through in the times that he willingly left him; first with their ruthless relatives, then with Nakago, both times in the name of Seiryuu and Seiryuu no Miko; in the name of Kutou. Even his memories of Kaika were clear as day; including when his twin gave him the chance not to go back to Kutou, even though it meant that they would be separated.

'You can't die now. We haven't had a chance to be brothers. I want a chance to have you as a normal brother and not worry about losing you. I just want that one chance…that chance we were robbed off before…' he thought morosely, as he packed a small suitcase, putting in only the basic items that he would require, including his flute, which he never travelled without.

He decided his best bet was to sneak out his bedroom window, hop on his bike and get to the LAX as fast as he could through the heart of Los Angeles. He knew it would be one of the most difficult things he was about to embark on, but, something told him that if he went, it would mean everything would be ok…

'Shannon…' Yui turned as he left, feeling sadden. 'No, I'm not repulsed, I'm just feeling uneasy. I've had too many dreams where you die, and so, I'm just really afraid of losing you. It's the last thing I want. I don't want to lose you…'

She hung her head down. 'Why are you running away from me, Shannon? I never wanted you to…' she sighed morosely, as she held his shirt tightly around her body, as she felt goose bumps prickle her skin.

Stepping inside, she reached into the pocket of the shirt and pulled out her hair tie, and gathering her long honey blond hair in her hands, tied her hair in a loose French braid, with her bangs hanging loosely around her face.

Locking the balcony door, she turned, feeling a brief electrifying shiver lance her body, her vision blinded by a flash of blue. She gasped, looking around. Something had just happened to someone close to her. She had felt this the first time Suboshi had die, but hadn't been able to make the association.

'No! Please let this only be a misconception! I can't lose him! Nothing can happen to hi; I have another chance and I'm happy… Why can't I stay happy, and with someone I love? Why do I have to keep feeling their fingers slip through mine?!' Yui thought, tears falling down her face, as she ran in the direction of Shannon's room.

She threw herself against the door she as opened it, only to fall back. 'Damn him for locking it!' She glared at the door through burning, blinding tears that heavily blurred her vision.

Aggressively she brushed away the tears and took out the nail file she had and tried to jimmy open the door. After what seemed like an eternity, which was really more of a minute, she pushed it open.

"Shannon! Shannon…….."

She felt her throat close up. The colour drained from her face in a second, her azure blue eyes with dull with shock, as she registered the sight before her. Her worst nightmare, it had come true, unfolding before her eyes.

Her lip quivered, tears streaked her face. Her lips were parted, and moved, yet no sound came out.

She felt her legs give out.

Dropping to the ground, she crawled over, her hand touching Shannon's face, the tears still freely falling from her eyes.

"Ne… Ne…Suboshi, stop this… No, you can stop now…" Yui knew she was growing delusional, but, she couldn't help; she had grown deeply attached to him; almost loved him in fact. She couldn't picture her life without him around.

"Don't…don't leave me…" She whispered, as she took him in her arms holding him close. 'You're one of the only things I have left in my life that make it worthwhile… If I lose you, I'll have nothing…'

Gazing up, she stroked his face gently. 'Why? Why did you do this? Do you really hate me that much? Do you hate me so much as to take your life?'

She sighed morosely and gazed at her own scar; the sign of her failed attempt. 'I know your pain though. I know what it's like. I had to live after my attempt and the pain was too great for me. If only I had listened to someone close to me, I wouldn't have had that pain…'

Kissing him softly on the lips, she blinked.

Pulling back, she placed her hand over his mouth. Her eyes narrowed. 'So, that's how it's going to be…'

She then sat back, and grabbed the knife from beside him. She gazed at it intently turning it over in her hand. She turned a gaze back to him then back to the blade. The blood had a faint glisten to it still; it was still fresh.

The fluid reflected her gaze back to her eyes. It was blurred and hazy, but she could see her eyes in the liquid.

'I'll teach you to do this to me!' she thought hatefully as she raise the knife over her head then lowered it quickly, as her other hand reached out to grabbed the bed sheet. Tearing off a piece, she ripped it apart and turned her sights back to him and took his wrist in her hand.

'I'll teach you good; if you want to die, I won't let you, even if you have to go through hell! You think you can die on me, you're sadly mistaken!'

Taking the fabric, she wrapped it tightly around the self-inflicted wound, hoping to stop the blood flow. She'd clean it up later. Foremost important was to make sure the blood flow was halted and that a clot was formed. She held his wrist, pushing her weight down on it in order to apply pressure in the hopes of stopping the flow.

Letting up, she tied it securely over the wound. Her eyes moved over his forearm. It would seem he was no amateur to this. It would appear that he had done this many times in the past.

'How many more times before you realise it just isn't going to work?'

She sighed, not quite knowing if she would be able to move him onto the bed; he wasn't light looking. He was built strong like Taka, so her guess was she wouldn't be able to move him. She knew she could damn well try.

Carefully sitting him up against the bed, she moved and crawled into the bed then grabbed him under the arms. She knew this would be utterly impossible. Straining herself, she pulled him up and turned him so he was on his back, his head rested on a pillow.

Exhaling, she cast a gaze over him, as her hand went up to dry off her forehead and dry the crusted tears from her face. As her hand moved over her face, she sighed and lay on her front, resting her head on his chest, listening to the shallow, soft breathing and the rhythmic beat of his heart. The sound was soothing to her tortured soul that had felt an extreme blow from his decision. To hear life in him brought reassurance back to her; to her soul, that she felt was connected, deeply, to Shannon's, as it had been with Suboshi's…

Pulling the covers up, she snuggled against him, sighing softly. 'If there is a god, I won't lose you.

'Why did you have to do this? Is it because you hate me or… If I caused this, I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do any more. IF you live, I'll do what I can to stop the pain that drove you to this.'

"Ashiteru…" she whispered, her closed. Her voice was barely raised above an almost silent whisper, as her breathe caressed her lips, the sweet words leaving her mouth.

Tears fell down her face as she prayed for the on thing she wanted the most: for her dream not to come true. She could feel his breathing. If he opened his eyes in the morning, it would give her one more thing to live for.

The tears fell on his chest.

For a while, they continued to fall from her eyes until she fell asleep.

The sun peaked over the horizon as the jet carrier touched down on the landing strip at Tokyo International Airport in the early hours of dawn, just before the sun peaked over the horizon. The sky was coloured with an array of bright colours splashed gracefully. There was a soft mix of oranges and yellows, with a hue of red and violet, as the night sky retreated down, and the rays of the sun peaked up, bringing forth a start to a new day.

The sound of the flight attendant's voice broke the silent reverie on the craft, as she announced in Japanese and English that the flight from Los Angeles had touched down in Tokyo at 0500 hours. She also added in that the weather forecast for that day looked to be promising. Before she bade the passengers a good day, she issued a reminder that they all had to fill out landing cards, which were to be presented to customs upon arrival.

Cracking am eye, the young man, who had an appearance exactly like that of Shannon, groaned softly and stretched back before reaching over to open the flap that had he had put down while he slept on the duration of the trip over the Pacific Ocean.

Sighing contently, he watched as the craft moved down the run way for the exit terminal.

'Suboshi… I can still feel your chi. Wait for me…'


	9. Chapter 9

Flat Out on the Floor

**Flat Out on the Floor**

_Not like I need to depend upon anyone  
Since I can see the lack of me for me to be at all  
One more anthem for the know it all  
I won't be standing up alone I better learn how to crawl  
Learn how to crawl  
In ten minutes I'll be laying out flat on the floor_

He sat across the table from a young man. This young man was no ordinary individual; he was the exact mirror image of the other who sat across from him. The pair were perfect carbon copies of each other, right down the glint in the deep ice blue eyes and the shading of the sandy brown stands of hair. There was only one small feature that distinguished one from the other was the nasty scar on the face of the older one.

The younger one seemed nervous. He didn't know what to expect from this guy. He was cold, brash and very arrogant. Yet, there was an irresistible charm about him. The younger one had to admit that the other guy certainly did have a lot of charisma, even if he was a total asshole and was only talking to him because the girl that had been with him ordered him to.

Sighing softly, the younger one, Jonathan Anderson sipped his coffee. He stared down as he spoke. "I know you don't want to be here, so, just go. I know you're only doing it for Yui."

"True, for her, but, I don't know. I do hate you, but, not enough to hate the sight of you. I just hate you as a person. Big difference there, you know." Shannon O'Kelly replied coolly.

Jonathan winced. The frosty tone Shannon spoke with sent chills lancing his body. It made his blood run cold with sheer fear, even if the guy wasn't threatening him. 'Even if he's not, there is still something about him that seems to instil fear on the hearts of men… I can see it in his eyes…'

He swallowed uneasily and cleared his clumsily cleared throat. "Uhm…say, Shannon, how did you end up in Tokyo…if you're from… Say, where are you from?"

"You're bloody dense, Yankee! I'm from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I'd have given you the proper name, but it would have been lost on your feeble mind." Shannon replied sharply, sipping from his cup. He then added, "I'm here because it's a good opportunity for me to study abroad. I already did exchange on mainland while I was in primary and secondary school. I thought that for post-secondary that coming here would be interesting. Also, I felt a pull here…"

"What kind of pull?" Jonathan asked, quite thrilled that Shannon, who was quite possibly his brother, was telling him this. Getting the guy to talk was the first step toward gaining his trust. He knew it was going to take a lot of work, but, it would be worth it to get back the brother he had lost in the previous life. He didn't want to make the same mistake again.

"I don't know; spiritual, gravitational…historical. I felt like I had been here before. I know that I never visited Tokyo before this last year, but, when I arrived here, it all came back to me. The last of the memories that I wanted to forget… Everything I ever wanted to forget. All the pain…" his tone grew resentfully bitter; his eyes darkened.

Jonathan arched an eyebrow. "What pain?" he asked, knowing it was said at the risk of sounding like a complete moron.

"The betrayal from before, including at the hands of the woman that I loved…"

"What do you mean loved? Isn't she the one you love?"

"It depends on the point of view. I do love her and care deeply about her, but another part of me still cautions me against making any real big moves with her. I don't need her rejection again."

Shannon then smirked, a nasty smirk. "But what am I telling you for; it'll do no bloody good."

"Sometimes just talking about it helps. I do feel your pain. Maybe not emotional, but I certainly feel your physical pain." Jonathan remarked, his gaze level with Shannon's, as he placed down the Danish he was eating and rolled up his sleeve.

"Even if I don't, perhaps you could consider thinking about the consequences of your actions, Shunkaku?!" he added, gazing sternly at his mirror image, the healing cuts on his wrist exposed.

Shannon, not wanting to admit to it, retorted, "Well, how do I know this isn't your own doing and…and you're trying to get me to uh…"

"Forget it; you suck at trying to lie." Jonathan quipped playfully.

Shannon grunted. He then was silent for a minute as he looked down at Jonathan's injury, which had been supposedly cause by his own stupidity. Then, he callously remarked, "At least I don't have to pretend to give a damn."

"That's a horrible thing to say!" Jonathan exclaimed, feeling deeply hurt. He stood up, his gaze steady, his eyes dancing with hurt and resent. "I won't deny that you've change, Shunkaku, but, it certainly isn't for the better. Even if you were a brash ignorant child before and emotionally impulsive, at least you knew how to care."

"I prefer to be cold than to get hurt. Some of us have enough common sense to realise that, instead of going through our whole lives wondering what people think of us! Yes, I'm cold, but, I don't need to be betrayed again, not by you, not by anyone." Shannon snapped scathingly.

He stood up and walked away without another word.

A soft cry came from just behind Jonathan.

He turned around, only to come face to face with Yui.

He smiled uneasily. "So, how much did you hear?"

"All of it!" she cried, not caring that tears flowed down the curves of her face freely.

"I'm sorry, but he…"

"No, it's not all his fault. It's also yours. You did push him too hard."

Jonathan scowled. "I did not. I was just trying to learn more about him."

"The only thing you learned was how to piss him off."

"Great, now you hate me too."

"No I don't. I'm just not going to sit by while two guys who are supposed to be brother show such hate for each other!" Yui hissed.

"You better give him the same lecture." Jonathan spat resentfully.

"You know, I came here looking for my brother, but, what I found was nothing like I expected. He hates me and I haven't done anything."

"Have you considered listening to him? He did point out that he didn't want to be betrayed by you again…" Yui reminded him.

…_I don't need to be betrayed again, not by you, not by anyone_…

He blinked, Shannon's odious astringent words hitting home. He had been too angry to think about what he had been told. Now that he was calmer, it all made sense now. He had been equally as blind.

"Even so…" Jonathan replied curtly. "He didn't have to act like that."

Sighing softly, Yui gave slightly. "Ok, I'll talk to him again… But, you do have to be careful when you speak to him."

Jonathan shrugged. It was going to be a lost cause.

"No!"

He stared firmly at her, as she stood in the doorway to his flat; a small studio apartment that was located off the main campus for the university.

"But Shannon…"

"How many times do I have to say it? I'm sorry if you didn't understand it in Japanese, perhaps if I tried in another language?!"

"I know he hurt you, but, just give him a chance…please, for me?!" Yui asked, taking his hand in hers and holding it on her right breast. She blinked sweetly, giving him an innocent look.

"I hate it when you do this!" Shannon whined, trying to take his hand back.

After another moment, he added, "and don't tease me like this! You know how I feel, so don't do it if you don't mean it."

She pulled back, looking quite hurt. "But Shannon…"

"With people like you, I don't need to depend on anyone. Between you and my so-called brother, who needs enemies? You pretend that you like me, but, you only want the protection. He is only going to hurt me again."

"This self-pity got you in trouble before! Stop this before something happens to you again! I don't want to go through that again! I thought I was going to lose you. I couldn't stand the thought of losing you twice…" she whispered softly, her eyes closed.

She sighed folding her arms over her chest. "The first time hurt so much; I thought I could never love again after it… But, when you came here, I thought it was a sign from the heavens that maybe, just maybe, I'd be lucky like Miaka and get a break. But, instead, I was trapped with Tetsuya… And you were there, being such a great friend.

"Even after you helped me, I couldn't open up myself to you. I trusted you, but, I still didn't have a complete trust of guys, after being betrayed one too many times…" she stared down at the carpeted floor, her eyes not moving. She shifted her hands nervously, swallowing a lump that formed in her throat, as she worked to avoid his gaze.

She couldn't bring herself to look up at him. She couldn't stand the thought of seeing hatred dancing over his face. It tore into the core of soul like a knife through butter. It hurt too much; words couldn't describe her pain. She didn't understand why he had such hatred stewing inside; why he didn't want to talk about it. It hurt her that he was hurting so deeply and that he wouldn't depend on her for anything…

"I…"

"Well, you should then understand all about betrayal." Shannon replied icily.

She choked back tears. "It's not that. I was going to say that I was having a hard time learning to trust you because of that, even though that I knew that I could… I guess there was something in the way of it. Just because I still had to learn to trust you, doesn't mean I hate you…"

"It means you hate my fucking guts like before."

"That's a horrible thing to say! I love you, how many ways do I have to say it? Why can't it just sink into your thick skull, Suboshi?! Just because I'm still having difficulty trusting men doesn't mean I can't love you!" Yui snapped brusquely, bringing her eyes up from the ground to stare him right in the eyes.

"You love me?" he replied incredulously, unable to process this.

Not only was he amazingly dense, he was so unaware! He had no idea how she felt despite how many times she expressed herself to him. To get him to listen and understand was a chore in itself. Passing high school entrance exams were a breeze compared to this.

Her eye twitched. "No, I love that asshole beside you." She replied with blazon sarcasm lacing her tone.

"You like my so-called brother."

Yui all but cried. He was so dense.

"There is really no point in talking to you…"

"So you hate me."

Yui felt herself tense and her left eye twitch. "So, you'd feel better if I treated you as I did before? Actually, for all you care, I might as well, despite that I love you!"

"Really?"

"And if you loved me, you'd give Jonathan a chance. "

"That's blackmail!"

"No, I prefer extortion...blackmail is such an ugly word." Yui replied with a saccharine laced tone, as she smirked, patting him on the cheek.

He scowled at her.

Giggling, she reached over, affectionately running her fingers through his hair. "You're cute when you act indignant! Of course, you're already cute to begin with…this only accentuates what already pre-exists."

He studied her for a minute then asked sombrely, "all right, fine it's established that you like me or whatever. If that is the case, then why do you continually refuse to act on these emotions if you think you can trust me? You talk about me giving that asshole a chance, but, why can't you give me a chance. It's the same thing in the end. How I can trust him if someone else I care about won't trust me enough to let me love them and have them to cherish as I will?"

"What does that have to do with Jonathan?" Yui asked sceptically, raising an eyebrow.

"I was just showing how this is parallel to my lack of willingness to give him a chance. You won't give me the chance I ask form, so why should I give him a chance?" Shannon challenged then smirked. "How do you like it when extortion is used against you? Not much I assume."

"What are you trying to prove, Shannon?"

"That when you say, if I love you, that I'd give Jonathan a chance… I'm instead saying that if you want me to give him a chance, you give me a chance…"

"But, Shannon…I already told you why…"

His eyes narrowed. "Hn, I don't need you, I don't need anyone! Leave now!"

"But…"

"Fine, do what you want." He declared curtly, pivoted and headed for and straight through the door, slamming it.

"I don't need any more of this fucking shit!" He cursed under his breath as he stormed down the hall to the hall, all the way to the stairs.

Taking them, he moved hastily, breezing by Sukanami Taka, who blinked, arching an eyebrow. He called out, but didn't get a response. He then looked up. He didn't have his memories, but could feel the presence of those who had been linked to a past he had no knowledge thereof.

"Shannon…" Yui whispered to herself, staring after him forlornly. She stared at the door, hoping that he could come back through it. "It's not that I don't trust you… I do love you, why can't you just wait; be impatient…"

'But he has been patient and he must feel like you're toying with him.' Her conscience replied. 'He has put himself on the line for you and wants something in return, your trust. It means more than love…'

Yui held back a cry as she dropped to her knees.

Miaka had always been the lucky one. She had turned around and was able to just fall into Taka's arms, as if it had always been like that. Yui wanted the same thing; she was jealous of what Miaka had. She always had been. She just prided herself on being able to conceal the jealousy that consumed her soul.

'Damnit… Miaka! Why do you get everything and I get nothing? Why can't for once in this life be as lucky as you? You don't have to do anything and everything happens for you. I struggle and try to reach for the sky but instead I'm knocked back down and forced to climb up again. Just for once I'd like to be the lucky one and you're the one who has to work to get what she wants…' she thought, bitter resentment entangling her.

She wiped away her tears. 'Why does he have to make everything so difficult? Why can't he just understand why, instead of not… He knew how Tetsuya treated me, why is he not being understanding?'

There was a knock the door and Taka wandered in.

"Yui?" he called, walking over to where she was. "What happened? Shannon is more pissed off than usual. What did you say to him?"

She gazed up and dropped against him, her hands clutching the fabric of his shirt. "Taka… Why won't he listen to me? I asked if he could just give Jonathan a chance…but he turned my words on me and asked why I couldn't give him the same chance I was telling him to give Jonathan…"

Taka blinked. He had no idea who Jonathan was, but, from the way Yui spoke the person had to be important to her and/or Shannon in some way or another. He closed his eyes and sighed. He had promised Shannon not to pass on anything he was told to anyone, but, Yui needed to learn this, regardless.

'I'm sorry, but she needs to know. I'm doing this for you. I know you're envious of my relationship with Miaka. This is the only way I can help you, Shannon. I know betrayal in any way shape or form is something you don't take lightly, but, you'll thank me one day if this works…'

"Shannon is a very impatient man and will not do something if he feels its wasting his time. Also, Yui, the reason he probably turned your words on you is because he loves you so much but you won't give him a chance. He told me he knows how Tetsuya was with you and that he knows you've had difficulty trusting men in the past, but also said that he is different from all of them and says that even if you don't love him back, if you trusted him it would mean a lot to him."

"But I hate the fact that he won't give Jonathan another chance!"

"Who exactly is Jonathan?"

"His twin…"

"Shannon never spoke of any twin brother. He did say he had two sisters, an older and a younger one. He then added he was adopted, but he didn't care."

"Adopted?"

"He didn't tell you? He's not Irish, he's a German…" Taka replied. "But if he is adopted, it's quite possible they were separated at birth."

Yui nodded slowly.

"Do you know where he went or where he was going?" Taka asked, changing topics.

"Uh…no idea…" Yui replied hesitantly.

Nodding slowly, Taka sighed. 'I need to find him, but there is no sense in telling Yui, it'll only make her worry more than she does. She has other things to worry about…'

"I'm sure he's just getting used to the idea…" Taka suggested before he left the same way he came.

He looked to the door, getting a look of concern on his face as he looked away from Yui…

When Shannon vanished for no reason, there was something that he hadn't told anyone and it meant that someone had hurt him…

'This is where he works…' Jonathan thought as he gazed up at the sign for the university campus café. It was now three days later. He had used the time to practice for the upcoming festival as well as contemplate how he would address the precarious situation with his possibly long-lost twin brother.

His mind had been a washed in a cesspool of stress, worry and anxiety over the whole situation. He wished that there was a nice simple solution to the whole issue. But, of course, that would only be an ideal world.

He hadn't wanted to do this, but, there had been something deep within him that urged him to…

_If you don't do, who knows what you will be wondering about for the rest of your life…? What do you have to lose? Nothing… It didn't go well the first time, but, you were caught off guard and he didn't know you well. You'll only have so many chances. There is such little time… All the minutes of the day are precious and must he cherished and used to their fullest… You must try and find a way to reach out to him… Get back the twin you lost and make up for the hurt you caused… Have a friend for life…someone you can trust…_

He sighed. He didn't know for sure if Shannon was working today. He had to risk it…

Gazing around, he decided that his best bet may be to go behind the café, since it seems like the logical place for the servers to take a break from their work. Wandering around, he stopped, coming face to face with Taka, whom he only knew as Tamahome.

Taka looked up and smiled. "Hey, I thought you and Keisuke went for drinks after your shift was done. What did you forget?"

Jonathan blinked stupidly. "Uh… So, Shannon isn't here?!"

"Oh… OH!" Taka blinked, realising now who it was. "So you're his twin…"

"If you say so… I don't know…" Jonathan admitted. "He doesn't act like it…"

"You were adopted, right?!" Taka asked, interrupting Jonathan's slow response.

"I am?"

"I don't know, which is why I'm asking!"

Jonathan blinked dumbly. "Uh… Uh, that IS a good question…."

Taka groaned softly to himself. Honestly, wouldn't one know if they were adopted? It did strike him as seemingly logical. Then again, he wasn't Irish… or, American…?

"Say, have you see, Shannon around?" Jonathan asked, his eyes darting around.

Taka shrugged vaguely. "Damned if I know… You're asking the wrong guy."

"Then who would know?" Jonathan frowned, wondering if Taka was telling him the truth.

"Most likely Shannon…"

Jonathan scowled and bitterly replied, "That is so not the answer I was looking for! You're looking for a serious ass kicking if you insist on bullshitting me!"

"Ok, you're either American or the real Suboshi…" Taka quipped, winking.

"Being American has nothing to do with it!" Jonathan protested, sputtering; his indignation highly noticeable. "And no going off-topic! I really need to know where he is, as much as he is a real asshole."

"Like I said, I really don't know."

Jonathan sighed… This had to be some kind of massive conspiracy! Everyone who knew Shannon didn't know where he was. It was also painfully obvious Shannon was determined not to be found by anyone.

He turned on his heel and looked out to the campus ground before he turned a gaze back over in Taka's direction. "Thanks for your help, but I need to go now…"

Taka nodded. "Ok, see you! I need to get back to work anyway!"

He then twitched. 'What? Why did that just happen?' he wondered, as he watched Jonathan leave. He felt something was amiss.

He twitched again and turned to go back to work, but turned suddenly, as he felt a bolt of electricity blind his vision for a split second. He didn't know why.

Nevertheless, he turned in time to see a blur of sharp autumn colours fly into the vicinity, barrelling rapidly in Jonathan's direction. Before he could get a sound out, the pair vanished into thin air, and again, Taka felt the sheering electricity engulf his brain for a microsecond.

He felt his feet turn to cement.

He was paralysed in place, unable to move; unable to comprehend in fullness what he had witness been to.

His pulse shot up; his blood rushing though his person, his heart pounding rapidly and sharply in his chest… His eyes were wide, displaying their shock and awe at the sight he had observed.

"Taka…"

He didn't move.

"Taka…!"

The voice called out to him again.

Once more, he didn't move from his spot.

"TAKA...!" a pair of fingers snapped in front of his face.

He blinked, shaking his head.

"Taka… What's wrong? You're acting more spacey than usual." A slightly shorter man, about twenty-five, with dirty blond hair and deep serious blue-grey eyes, declared, clamping a hand on Taka's shoulder.

"Ah… Nothing, Keisuke-san…" Taka replied quickly, almost too quickly.

Yuuki Keisuke arched an eyebrow sceptically. "Taka, what are you hiding? You're not telling me the truth. You were always a terrible liar."

"You and Miaka have a sixth sense for this kind of thing, don't you…?"

"Taka…" Keisuke glared at his friend, also the boyfriend of his younger sister, Miaka. He sighed. "What have I told you about trying to change topics when I ask you a question…?"

Sighing, Taka relented. "You know Jonathan Anderson, right?"

"Who?" Keisuke asked, blinking in confusion.

"Shannon's twin brother…"

"If Shannon even had a twin brother, he'd be even less bearable than he is now! He doesn't! I know that for a fact. If he had a twin brother, he'd protect him with every ounce of his being."

"He has a twin and he wants his brother dead!"

"No he wouldn't…"

"Yes I would."

"Shannon…" the pair turned. Keisuke and Taka blinked and queried, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough…" he folded his arms.

"So, why, if you have a brother haven't you mentioned him?" Keisuke pressed, curious to know.

"I have no brother!" Shannon replied scathingly; malice lacing his every word.

"But… Jonathan… He's identical to you… He…" Taka gestured wildly, trying to explain his theory.

"He may be, but I do not consider that bastard to be my brother! He left me for dead before! As far as I am concerned, to me, he might as well be dead!" Shannon declared hatefully.

"But you slaughtered Tamahome's family over the alleged death of your brother in the past!" Keisuke retorted. "How can you now stand there and profess to, hating him?"

"Simple, I say how I feel and I pray to the Lord that he will find it in his infinite wisdom to put that so-called brother of mine out of his bloody misery." Shannon explained simply, in a flat and apathetic tone.

Taka's eyes narrow thoughtfully. "But, then why would he have been intent on trying to find you?"

"He's just a stupid Yankee. Damned if I know why that bloody wanker does anything…"

Keisuke sighed, a long heaving sigh. "You are frustrating!"

Taka pursed his lips, resting his hand over his mouth. 'I did see Jonathan vanish into thin air… I think it would be precarious if I tried to help him. Shannon is the strongest one I know…'

Shannon shrugged, his visage devoid of any revealing emotion, which might give away what he's thinking and/or feeling.

He opened and closed his eyes, feeling a twitch in his senses. 'That chi; I know that chi! Oh god, no, it isn't…'

He darted a panicked glance over at Taka. "Look, I know you don't remember jack-fucking-shit, but, you must've felt something strange…"

Taka nodded. "Yes, I did. Something I felt like I should have remembered, but I didn't…"

Shannon glanced over at Keisuke. "How much longer are we going to walk on eggshells before Tama-boy here finds out the truth or is told…?"

"Hey! I'm not a cat!"

Keisuke completely ignored Taka and replied, "Well, we were figuring that his memory would come back, when you got your ass severely kicked by him…"

"You wish! Tama-boy doesn't have the same level as before! His chi is too weak." Shannon retorted, a hint of indignation in his voice. "You are bloody balmy if you think this weakling is going to kick my ass! Besides, the joke is on him, he never killed me, I killed myself, so…so….NYAH!"

Taka groaned. 'It is possible for him to act any stupider than this? This has got to be a new low, and… HEY!' he thought, as he realised in full what Shannon had said. "HEY! I never tried to kill you!"

Once more, Taka was ignored, as Keisuke and Shannon carried on a conversation, oblivious to his presence.

"Then why don't you inform him." Keisuke challenged, stepping in closer.

"Why me, why can't Miaka do it? She benefits the most from it! I stand the chance of getting my fucking ass kicked because he'll fucking remember why he hates me…" Shannon snorted derisively. "Besides, I stand to lose a friend in the process."

"So, now you're chummy with him? I thought you hated his guts!"

Taka glared at both, as a low growled resonated in his throat. "I'm still here! Stop talking about me as if I am not here!"

"Just because I hated him before, means fucking jack shit! I hate my brother now, and I loved him before, does it really fucking matter, Yuuki?" Shannon retorted scathingly, his gazed dead set fixed on Keisuke; his gaze was unrelenting. "Just because I wanted him dead last time, means nothing now!"

"But it won't be like that to him because he'll have to separate his old memories of his previous life, from those of this one." Keisuke countered.

Taka groaned, as he leaned listlessly against the wall. He realised that he had no hope in hell of getting heard any time soon. These two were so obstinate. Their actions had made it crystal clear that he was not being given the light of day because they would much rather quarrel about inane sundry twaddle than lend him an ear.

'I've got to be invisible…' he thought to himself, as he scowled at his friends.

"So, you think we shouldn't tell him?" Shannon asked, his cold gaze transfixed on Keisuke.

"Well…if by 'we' you mean me, then no. However, I'm not adverse to you telling him." Keisuke retorted. He was damned if he was going to tell Taka the truth. He didn't want to be the first thing Taka saw if his memories were triggered.

Shannon snorted derisively. "Then why the hell should I do it?"

"Because if you don't, I'll tell Yui that you're a cold-hearted asshole…"

Taka chuckled. "Keisuke-san, that won't work, she already knows. Besides, he's less of an asshole than Tetsuya is."

"He's more of an asshole than Tetsuya is… He's just better at hiding it." Keisuke countered, turning his eyes in Taka's direction.

"Gee, now you're paying attention to me…" Taka remarked dryly. He cleared his throat. "Even so, it's not like she's actually dating him. He doesn't have much to lose if you tell Yui that he is an asshole."

Shannon growled under his breath. "You guys really want to see her ditch me, don't you? It figures… Neither of you have changed much!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Taka sobbed, getting frustrated at the idea that he had no idea what his friends kept making references to.

"It means…"

"HEY! Look…" Keisuke exclaimed, interrupting Shannon, as he pushed by the young man and bent over, picking up an envelope. He peered closely at it and blinked. "Even this I can't read…"

Taking it from Keisuke, Shannon's eyes narrowed. "Of course you can't read it! You're not from Kutou! This is the imperial script. I learned it when I moved into Kutou's imperial citadel. It looks slightly like Kanji but it isn't. It's 'Ancient Chinese'…"

"Then, why don't you tell us what it says!" Keisuke challenged.

Shannon grunted. "I'm trying…" which meant to him, 'I'll tell you once I'm done reading.'

He ripped opened the envelope and removed the letter. Unfolding it, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. The hand appeared vaguely familiar. Whose was it?

_Shannon O'Kelly,_

_It's been a while hasn't it, Suboshi? It's been almost an eternity, but, now, we are on a level playing field again. We have both been given a chance again at life. It seems that maybe Seiryuu does care about us, even though he spited us before._

_But, enough of reminiscing; there are too many bad memories. Let me get right to the point. You killed me before, and I never forgot. Now, it is my turn to return the favour._

_I have taken Amiboshi hostage again. The irony, 'tis sweet isn't it; that your demise will be once again because of your brother falling into my clutches. He was always the meddlesome type wasn't he? He was always the out-spoken one and never knew when to keep his tongue to himself, now, did he?_

_Succinctly to conclude this, I say, I have your brother. He will die, pending your response to this epistle. If you do not come to the pre-determined location, I will kill him as he had been meant to die before. This will no doubt kill you. Nevertheless, if you do respond, he will be spared in favour of your life._

_Sincerely yours, _

_Marius L. Bartecelli_

Shannon's eyes narrowed. "Damn you, Tomo!" He growled scathingly, crumpling the letter.

Keisuke's eyes widened. "Tomo…? He's alive…" he said incredulously. He groaned, "But then that means the rest of the riff-raff will have likely been reincarnated!"

'Tomo…' Taka thought, shutting his eyes. That name also seemed familiar, but why? 'Why does that name seem so familiar? I've never heard it before in my life…'

Shannon sighed softly. "I have no choice… This is no fair! If I don't go, two of us die, if I go, I stand a chance of getting killed… Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit…"

Taka gazed up and moved next to Shannon, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll go with you. I may not have my memories, but, two people have a better chance of taking on an aggressive challenger than one..."

"Count me in too. I never did like Tomo. He bullied Miaka and tried to hurt her!" Keisuke declared, offering his assistance to the cause.

"But, I killed Tomo before. Plus, you two don't have the power to take him on…" Shannon replied, concernedly.

"Well, Taka won't. Tomo practically killed him that time." Keisuke offered.

"I think I would have remembered if someone tried to kill me!" Taka retorted irritated.

Without warning, Shannon turned his eyes to Taka and blinked, sending a massive amount of chi at his friend. He didn't want to, but, this might be one way to restore Taka's memories and bring him back so that the group would have two decent fighters.

Crying out as he hit the wall, Taka moaned, anguish in his voice. He turned his head slightly, his eyes glassed over with pain. He winced, trying to move, but was unable to. Every little movement sent a million bolts of electricity sheering through his veins. He tried to open to his mouth, but no sound came out before his eyes rolled back into their sockets, as he body went limp, and he slumped listlessly against the wall.

"Taka!" Keisuke called out then sharply pivoted face and grabbed Shannon by the collar, slamming him against the wall. "Damn you… You might have killed him!"

Shannon grunted and replied in a soft but malicious tone. "I only increased my chi and hit his. This is an attempt to jog his memory. I'm fed-up with not having him as a rival because you guys are all ready to make sure he doesn't find out! Maybe he does deserve the truth! The look in his eyes speaks volumes of his desire to know the truth. But, you, Miaka, Yui, and Tetsuya… all of you…you're all too willing to keep him in the dark when he only wants to know what we're always talking about instead of being treated like some ignorant child who won't understand.

"But, this never did occur to you. You instead have decided his fate. You're no better than the merciless overlords we were oppressed under before. You love to play 'god', don't you? You like toying with his life, why else would you prevent him from knowing the truth? You're afraid, aren't you? There is no other reason why you wouldn't want him to know. After all, it's not of any benefit to you if he knows or doesn't know…"

"Damn you…" Keisuke growled. "That is such…"

"Keisuke-san, drop him…" a low voice whispered.

They looked over to where Taka lay slumped against the wall.

"I said let him go… He has a point. Why did you keep the truth from me? What were you afraid of? There were many times when he wanted to tell me. It was on the tip of his tongue, but then you, Miaka, Yui and/or Tetsuya would come by and he would cease up… He alluded to the truth many times and I knew he wanted to tell me, but you always stopped him. I'm not a child; I can take the truth…." Taka whispered, his voice strained, as he spoke.

"Truth be told, the memories are painful… But, they are part of who I am… Why did you want to keep it from me, Keisuke-san?" Taka asked, his eyes filled with pleading.

Prying Keisuke's hands off him, Shannon smoothed down his shirt and walked over to Taka and held out his hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, but, this was the only way to make you remember. They kept repeatedly tried methods to keep me quiet, including threatening to hurt Yui…" he explained, tears shining in his eyes for a brief second.

Taka's eyes widened as the slightest of gasps escaped him. Yui had been used as a pawn in this game… He shuddered to think that maybe Miaka had…

He reluctantly took Shannon's hand and was assisted to his feet.

Shannon sighed and cast a glance to Taka and nodded sombrely. "I…"

"No, don't say it. I won't kill you. That was all in the past. If you held a grudge, you would have never become my friend and further, you would have never tried to give me back what my so-called friends kept from me." Taka assured Shannon, placing an arm around his friend's shoulder.

He then reached and took the letter from Shannon, his eyes scrutinising the text. His eyes narrowed, an old spark entering them. "Tomo… He never learns! He really needs a thorough lesson!"

"I was thinking the same thing." Shannon smirked knowingly.

Nodding at Shannon, Taka pointed to where he had seen Jonathan vanished from. He then ran in that direction. "This way, Shannon! I saw him vanish from here earlier. I know that this asshole was responsible because the two life forces feel the same!"

Running up behind Taka, Shannon nodded. "That sounds about right. And, Tomo is very pathetic! He's repeating history! He had a death wish. He knows I'll kill him again…"

"But… I don't think he's working alone this time…" Taka suggested.

Acknowledging that, Shannon replied, "of course… But, I doubt it'll be someone like Nakago or Miboshi. It's probably someone who would have known us…"

"But we have to move quickly or he might go after Yui as well, if he really does hate you and wants you dead…" Taka admitted, as they gazed around the crime scene.

"If he gets to Yui… So help me… there will be hell to pay!" Shannon declared, his eyes a blaze with hatred and loathing in its purest form; in its primitive unrestricted form.


	10. Chapter 10

Because of You

**Because of You**

_You know I can be there, it's time that you call  
I swore not to come, but I'm here after all  
I know by the look that I see  
In your eyes, I won't stand around and  
I won't watch you die, from what you do  
Because of you, what becomes of...  
From what you do!_

(The Long Road, Nickelback)

Voices swirled around him, their buzz consuming his soul in an inescapable vortex of nothingness. He was trapped. He was a victim of his own naïveté. He had let his guard down and in the blink of an eye, he become a pawn in a game of cat and mouse between two old age rivals. He didn't know who they were, but he knew, though not because of any spoken information, but because of gut instinct.

'So, I'm of nothing of significance to anyone, except to be a pawn caught between two cruel people, who have no regard for humanity. I am nothing but the person that did nothing and got swept up into a war zone. No one wants me, except if they can use me for their own ends. Why should this be any different?'

Tears fell down his eyes, as he sat in the corner room, cowering. He had his legs pulled up against his chest. His arms were embraced around his body, as he leaned against the wall, his eyes staring off; looking at nothing. He hadn't moved since he had been taken here. He didn't feel any desire to move.

Check that… He felt nothing at all. He was an empty shell; just the exterior covering for what resided deep in the body, in the intangible soul. Any emotion he normally felt was all but eroded from the depths of his soul. He had no desire to even open his eyes, or to even open his mind to the voices that circled around him.

This had to be a cruel joke.

He sighed morosely, his mind subconscious recounting the mere seconds before he vanished into thin air, surrendering himself as an object of the normal realm of living; the status quo reality that flourished and encompassed all those who were born into it.

He had set off after talking to a young man who was seemingly oblivious to the reality around him, and headed into the core of the university grounds in search of his other half; the half that had been torn from him at birth in attempt to bridge their differences and unify the two individual souls as one as they were meant to be…

It wasn't easy. It was easier when he had to deal with half his soul trying to kill itself. He didn't have to speak to the master of the mind, he spoke to the timid spirit that dwelt in the heart of his twin brother, the one person he had once been close to; who had meant and still means the world to him.

He had this burdening his mind as he walked by a dark area, his steps slowing, a familiar chi embracing him before a surge of electricity passed him by, seizing him aggressively and teleporting him to an undisclosed location.

When he returned to reality after the teleportation, he heard two voices.

Both speakers spoke in accented English. The first young man spoke with very proper English, but it was accentuated with the melodic sounds of his Italian accenting lacing it. The second speaker was local to Japan.

The only thing he gathered before he tuned out was that he was taken here because he was meant to serve as bait to lure someone in, so that, the mastermind of this plot, one Marius L. Bartecelli, could execute, what he had dubbed, Operation Revenge – a dish best served cold. Marius was working with someone by the name of Kajiwara Tetsuya, who apparently had a desire to have a girl, who he had lost…

At that point, he had tuned out, not giving a damn.

The two voices continued to speak, regardless of whether or not he was heeding their questions and comments.

"This is not Shannon, Bartecelli! Who the hell did you catch?"

A pair of cat-shaped, sleek golden eyes darted upward purposefully. A sneer twisted the pale lips of the pale Italian young man, as he raised a gently manicured hand to push strands of silk jet black hair from out of his face. He then, replied in a soft voice, a thick Italian accent coating his English, "fool. I was acting on what I knew. Even so, it does serve my purposes…"

"What about mine?" the second young man, growled; notably Kajiwara Tetsuya. He punched the wall and cast a scathing gaze at Marius.

"You knew the consequences when you asked me for my assistance in exacting revenge against Suboshi. You never did say how I had to, now, did you?"

"Bullshit! I told you, kidnap Yui! That would have got the little gaijin's attention!" Tetsuya retorted angrily. He was irritated over the lack thereof reaction on the part of Marius, who would only flick his gaze over when he made any sort of statement.

"If you don't like my methods, _potete andare__ c__hiavata voi stessi_…" Marius replied softly, his eyes turned in Tetsuya direction, as he switched from English into Italian. He offered the subtlest of smirks, as he spoke in his melodic mother tongue.

Tetsuya bristled indignantly. He hated when people switched into foreign languages. This included English, even though he did understand it and speak it passably. Japanese was just naturally easier for him to speak.

"If you had any fucking common sense, you'd have kidnapped her! You'll get more response from him if you took what is the most precious to him!"

"Are you still whining?" Marius coolly remarked. "_Siete scassacazzo_…"

"Stop insulting me in whatever language you're speaking!"

"It's Italian, Kajiwara." Marius explained, as though he were speaking to a child.

He turned and swung his legs down, as he leapt down from on top of the crates, with the grace of a cat. He landed soundlessly on his feet and darted a gaze over at Jonathan, then over at Tetsuya. "Leave him for now… He's doing more damage to himself that either of us could do. Self-impose psychological damage is better than any physical injuries, which would inflict unto him. Pending, of course, we were feeling unduly malicious."

"You are difficult! Why can't everything just be simple, why does it all have to complicated and stuff? Maybe a simple plan works the best!" Tetsuya retorted, angered by Marius's blundering blatant and stunning indifference.

"If you don't like it, _duro merda_…" Marius purred softly. He extended his long slender, immaculately manicured fingers to caress Tetsuya's cheek, as he icily added, "You're free to leave. I'm not stopping you from leaving. You're the one who is stopping you."

Growling, Tetsuya pushed away Marius's hand.

Why did he get this loser to help him? He should have known better. This was a Seiryuu Seishi; hence, he would be difficult to work with. Nevertheless, it was a slight improvement over working with a Seishi of Suzaku, who would not cooperate with him for this cause because they were all self-righteous goody-two-shoes.

Fuming still, he stormed out.

He needed a way to get back at Shannon; a way to exact revenge for the damage that was done to him earlier when Yui tried and eventually did so successfully. He never did forgive Shannon for this. To Tetsuya this had been a violation of his pride, dignity rights and his manhood. He had jurisdiction over Yui. But, that was stolen by the annoying little pesky foreigner.

'Marius can go fuck himself. He doesn't know fuck all...'

_I cannot hurt her. As much as I don't have feelings for her, I respect her and it is my destiny to protect her, even now that I am reincarnated. Before, when I had worked for Tenkou, I was still protecting her. I can't hurt or kidnap Lady Yui. I share the same destiny as Suboshi. We were reborn here to continue to protect her. You do as you wish, but, it goes against my beliefs._

'Damn him to hell and his bloody beliefs! I'll show him, I'll show all of them how revenge is exacted, and I will be successful!'

"Shannon, Taka…!" Yui called out, her face lighting up with delight as her two friends came over. She was standing on the subway platform at the station at the north end of the Tokyo university campus. She had come today in order to use the research facilities. She knew that Shannon wouldn't be working today, so she had decided not to stop by the café.

"Hey, Yui-chan," Taka replied, walking ahead of Shannon. He gazed at her for a minute. He studied her. She appeared much different than before, but, there were many of the same qualities still there. She was just more mature now and better able at hiding her negative emotions, which had previously been her downfall.

She blinked at Taka, peering at him closely. She then, after a minute, replied with her observatory comment, "There is something different about you… You seem more aware…"

"That is one way of putting it."

"What is the other way?"

He darted a gaze at Shannon, who nodded and looked back to Yui. "That I know the truth; the truth that you, Keisuke, Tetsuya and Miaka had kept from me. The truth that you forced Shannon to keep concealed, even though he wanted to tell me many times."

She paled. The memories… This meant that Taka, who been more curious these past few weeks had his insatiable hunger for the truth satisfied. She didn't have to guess, she knew who told him. She could tell that Shannon had been the one who had told Taka the truth and had revealed everything. This therefore meant that Shannon was willing to accept the consequences of his actions that mired his reputation in this life.

"Then you know…" she stated grimly.

Taka darted his gaze Shannon's way and when Shannon nodded, Taka returned the gesture with a knowing conspirator wink.

"What would I know? I don't know anything… After all, no one ever tells me anything, so why should I know something…" Taka bemoaned dramatically, his tone festering with sarcasm.

Yui's eye twitched. "Ugh…"

"Sorry, was it something I said?" Taka replied sweetly.

Giving him a scathing dirty look, she snorted. "No, you're just spending too much time around Shannon."

"And what's wrong with that?" Shannon purred, wrapping an arm around Yui. "Makes me think that there ought to be more of me to go around…"

"Uh-huh…" Yui replied, unimpressed. Pushing his arm away, she queried, "Did you get a chance to talk to Jonathan? He had been looking for you…"

"Maybe someone should tell her that he really can't look for you now…" Taka meekly suggested.

"You spoke to him last, you tell her! I don't need to look like more of an asshole…" Shannon hissed then sheepishly added, "well, more so…"

"Fine… Wuss…" Taka murmured to himself as he turned to Yui. "You, see, the thing….the thing that with that is…well… He…Jonathan, kinda, well, he was… Ok, so, I had been talking to him, and well, it seems that, well, he was kinda…" he wildly gestured, as he stumbled over what he tried to say.

"GAH… I can't, you tell her, Shannon!"

"But then I'll seem like the bad guy!"

Growling, Yui was trembling slightly, her blue eyes blazing. "Someone will tell me, or heads will roll…"

"Marius Bartecelli kidnapped him!" Taka blurted out.

Yui's eye again twitched. "Who…? That name means nothing to me!"

"Uh, that would be Tomo…" Shannon weakly replied.

She glared at him. "What…? How could you have let that happen! I know you hate him but that is too cruel!"

"See, it did get me into trouble and I did nothing!" Shannon indignantly bewailed.

"Well, maybe you did have a point," Taka replied, suddenly pitying Shannon, after seeing the look on Yui's face. He shuddered. She was scarier than Miaka when she got angry and Miaka was scary as it stood.

"Of course I do…"

"So, how long are you two going to stand there? For all you know, they could be hurting him now! You have a responsibility to help him! As your Miko, I order to help him!" Yui declared, punching Shannon in the shoulder.

"Well, it doesn't apply to me, so, I'll be-- HEY! OW!! That hurts!" Taka cried out, whimpering, as Yui pulled him back by the ear.

"You're going to find him and help him…NOW!" Yui growled scathingly and received a smirk from Shannon.

"Why should we? It's not like Taka is your boyfriend. And, I'm still a doormat for you. You act like you're my girlfriend, dictating all parts of my life, but then when I suggest that you become my girlfriend; you get all weird on me. So, give me one damn good reason why the hell I should listen to you? As it is, I don't stand to lose anything…"

Yui scowled. He had her on that technicality. She then returned the smirk, as an idea came to life in her mind. "Well, I could just stop talking to you!"

"Empty threat, empty threat…" Shannon replied nonchalantly, with the wave of a hand, as he and Taka set off in the other direction.

"Where are you going?"

"To take care of your order, Seiryuu no Miko; after all, aren't we here for your beck and call, Lady Miko?"

Taka snickered. As Suboshi, he had been an immature brash brat, now as Shannon, he was a quick-witted, eloquent individual, though, he still was cocky and overly arrogant, but, a better guy this time. Further, now that he had his memories, he better understood Shannon and actually didn't begrudge him over the past, as the others had feared would happen.

A short but high-pitched shriek reverberated in the area, as Yui cried out for help. She had been grabbed from behind, a hand coming around her neck, pushing up her head, as a sharp blade was pressed to her flawless skin.

"Marius doesn't know what he's doing…

"If you want her…it's your life that will be the price!" he declared, growling, his gazed laced malice. His eyes were wild, his hands shaking slightly. "Of-of course…that's if you think hers is worth it…"

Deciding not to give Shannon enough chance to do something brash and ignorant, Taka stepped between them and stared hard at Tetsuya. There was a familiar glint to his eyes; one that would make Nakago smirk. The glint was feisty and determined.

"Does a real man need this? Do you need to hurt a girl to make yourself feel big?" he questioned, his tone level, as he bend down and swept up a handful of pebbles. He tossed one up and effortlessly caught it. As he brought his hand down, clutching the pebble, a brilliant red light flashed and his previously dormant chi flared. The marking of ogre, the symbol of his past life ignited, glowing dominantly in the centre of his forehead.

Yui's eyes widened. "Tamahome…" she whispered in awe. She felt her heart skip a beat, a rush of feeling much like those which rolled over her senses the first time she saw him defend her and Miaka from their attackers.

"Grab Yui and get out of here! I'll deal with him…" Taka whispered his order as he threw a gaze in Shannon's direction. "I have a sore to settle with him…"

Nodding, the former Seiryuu Seishi smirked at Tetsuya, who held Yui back, pressing a knife against her neck, waiting for the response he sought. A sneer graced his expression, his eyes taunting, challenging the one he felt he felt had done him a great injustice months long past.

Bracing himself, Shannon waited until Taka hurled a pebble at Tetsuya, nailing him square in the kisser. The blow was enough to cause Tetsuya to loosen his grip long enough for Shannon to dart in and sweep Yui up into his arms before Taka barrelled in, raising his fist to punch Tetsuya in the face.

Time seemed to stop for an eternity.

Slowly, Taka brought his gaze up as Tetsuya reeled from the pain and force of the impact and collapsed noisily to the ground. A puddle of blood rushed formed around his head, as it gushed forth in downstream rapids. A bodily fluid of deep crimson red flowed from his broken, fractured nose. His eyes rolled back in his eyes. The lids remained opened, but his eyes glassed over.

She felt nothing for her assailant. She felt nothing…but yet, a scream came from her; a shrieking resonating scream…

"Get her out of here!' Taka barked at Shannon, who nodded wordlessly and ran out of the area, carrying Yui in his arms.

Once he had moved away a great distance, Shannon effortlessly placed Yui on her feet.

Her knees gave out and she fall to the ground on all fours. Her body trembled slightly.

"Yui, its ok…" Shannon assured her. "Taka knows what he's doing…"

"But…even so… He could've killed Tetsuya…"

"And you're worried about that because…"

She glared up at him. "Even if I do hate Tetsuya, I'd never wish death upon him! That is a little extreme."

"So, I should call off my Yakuza buddies in helping me find and eliminate Marius in order to free Jonathan from his clutches…" Shannon challenged, knowing it would put Yui in a position that she'd have to give up her beliefs or contradict herself.

"But…that's…that's different! Tomo is hard to fight!" Yui protested, not wanting Shannon to be right, even though he clearly was.

"Not necessarily. Besides, by your judgement, killing Tetsuya is wrong, whereas killing Marius is perfectly fine. Its hypocrisy is what it is…" Shannon retorted coolly, his tone evidently coated with sarcasm. "Further, if we use your rational, you're saying, you're perfectly capable defending yourself, which we know you can't do, whereas, Jonathan is helpless and can't hurt a fly…"

Scowling, Yui glared at him, raised her hand and slapped him across to the face.

"Ow… HEY! What was that for?"

"Because… Well…because!" She declared, knowing she couldn't justify why. For that reason, she scowled and crossed her arms over her chest.

Shannon smirked. "That is hardly a reason…"

Glaring at him, she looked off, "well, it is! Besides…I'm right! It's wrong to kill someone weaker than yourself."

"So, you'd rather put yourself in danger than risk someone who can fight back being in danger? You're foolish." Shannon replied simply. "If you had any common sense, you'd have realised this! You have had bad luck in fights, Jonathan can fight! I'd be more worried about you than him!"

"Why do you hate him?" She demanded.

"By saying he can fight is not saying I hate him!" Shannon protested, as he moved after Yui, as she stormed off. "Neither is saying that you can't fight back… So, stop being so bloody stubborn and just admit fault!"

She hated having her pride bruised. She didn't want to admit to being wrong. She knew this would be what Shannon wanted to hear.

"Yui, stop… Please, stop! Don't do this! You're going to do something you regret!" he called out after her, as she broke out ran.

He felt a twitch.

'That chi! I know that chi…' his fiery blue eyes narrowed. 'Marius…'

He broke out in a run after Yui.

As she came into sight, he picked up his pace, but, when an azure light burst to life in front of him, he knew his time was limited. The chi was a mask for Marius's attack. It had become his new trademark. He was no longer being subtle.

It was obvious as Shannon went through the light, narrowly missing the chance to grab onto Yui, as he had done when she had wished herself and Miaka back to their world of birth. Having missed grabbing her resulted in him going through the light and rolling across the ground, after he broke his fall.

It however, didn't stop him from rolling and crashing into someone's legs.

"Very graceful…" the person remarked sarcastically with a chuckle.

Shannon groaned.

Bending over, Taka held out his hand. "he got Yui, didn't he?"

"Where is she?" Shannon asked weakly, gazing up at Taka, as he accepted the help getting up.

"Most likely wherever Jonathan is. We should follow the instructions." Taka suggested, as he gazed around, his eyes in thin slits.

"Why didn't she listen to me?" Shannon whispered, tears forming in his eyes. "I just tried to keep her safe and this is how she repays me? I love her, but she keeps hurting me. Even when she hurts herself, she hurts me. Why won't she let me just help her…?"

"You're hurting because of her?" Taka replied grimly.

"Because I love her…" he remarked sadly.

"Because of her you've been hurting all this time." Taka summed up. He gazed over concernedly at his friend. "Shannon, if she's causing you this pain, why do you let this happen? No girl is worth this much anguish! She is going to be the death of you.

"Yui may be Miaka's best friend, but that girl is not right in the head! She'll kill everyone who comes close to her! Miaka is protected by Suzaku, but not everyone else. Yui hasn't been the same since she had been in the other world. Whether she admits it or not, it has corrupted her and she is unable to act in accordance to normal human emotions."

"Tetsuya hurt her too!"

"He only made matters worse. But, Shannon, save yourself and your brother now! Yui will only drag you down. She'll be the death of you.

"Don't jump to conclusions, I care about her too, but, she needs help. She needs to admit to her problems and let go of the past. She thinks she has, but, really, she hasn't. You can see that she still clings to it." Taka explained, his voice soft, as he placed a reassuring hand on Shannon's shoulder.

"Because of her…" He whispered softly. He closed his eyes and moved away, taking a couple of steps.

He turned melancholic eyes to Taka. "If she is my pain, then I can accept it. I love her and nothing will change that. I've always loved her no matter what.

"Sorry my friend…"

Throwing up his hand, Shannon released the latch-catch device he wore on his wrist and watched as the catch flew up, attaching to the edge of the building. Giving it a tug, he flew up and before he left, he said, as he pulled out of ear shot. "Thanks for being my friend!"

Taka watched in horror before he turned and punched the wall.

'Damn you! You're a good man. Why are you killing yourself for Yui? She isn't worth it! She will never been well-enough to be the person you expect her to be. I wish you wouldn't kill yourself…'

Tears fell from his eyes, as he gazed up into the sky, squinting.

The sunset's bright light shone in his face, as he raised a hand, shielding his eyes. 'Please Shannon, don't do anything foolish…'


	11. Chapter 11

Hero

**Hero**

_I am so high, I can hear heaven_

_I am so high, I can hear heaven_

_Whoa, but heaven...no, heaven don't hear me_

_And they say_

_That a hero could save us_

_I'm not gonna stand here and wait_

_I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles_

_Watch as we all fly away_

(Spiderman Sound Track, Nickelback feat Josey Scott)

"No one will save you." A soft voice, accentuated by the grace of an Italian accent purred as he caressed an elegantly manicured finger along the soft curves of the girl's slender neck and her jaw line, his golden fixed sternly on her.

He stepped away, "no, I'm sorry… Some pathetic little boy will try to play Sir Lancelot and be your night in shining armor, but, he will be a tragic hero when I kill him. You will get the chance to witness your knight in shining armour go down at the hand of a true warrior."

She turned her contempt laced gaze up. Her cerulean blue eyes were ablaze with indignation.

He continued as if she hadn't given him such a dirty look.

"Though, it's nothing against you. You're just here until the execution of reprisal is concluded. I have no intentions of harming you. You are just here to play the damsel in distress, so that your knight in shining armour can sweep in here and give an impassioned speech and speak of honour and valour before the fight for glory ensues.

"But, instead of the hero walking off with his golden-hair maiden in his arms into the picturesque sunset, he will be a fallen hero and you will leave, weeping and I will forever vanish from your life and never again will you see or hear from me."

Marius Bartecelli turned to Yui, his eyes glued to her. He breezed past her. "You will not be hurt. I give you my word as a man. You are just here until the end of the battle. You can try and play the tragic heroin and plead for the life of his brother. But, alas, he is nothing more than a useless cluster of cells and water."

"You're a vile creature." Hongou Yui spat angrily.

"I'm no worse than Tetsuya, though I must admit; I was surprised he went ahead and acted on his own. He didn't seem to be the kind who would work on his own. He did come to me after all and sought my assistance. Nevertheless, when this didn't do his way, he went after you.

"When I told him I wouldn't include you, he snivelled so." Marius explained, as he took Yui's hand in his and kissed it.

"Now, if you don't mind, would you follow me, and I shall show you to your quarters. I do want you to be comfy, but, you can't leave. You'll have all the necessary human comforts," he added, as he held her hand, taking down the corridor.

He stopped, letting go of her hand parting a pair of French doors and gestured for her to walk past.

"This is the best I could do with an illusion. All the basic comforts will be tangible and if you need anything, you can just open this clam," he explained, picking it up and purposefully placing it in the palm of her hand and closing her fingers around it. "And it'll provide you will a servant who will see to your needs."

Yui wearily eyed the room, drinking in her surroundings and let out a dejected sigh. She knew it would be feeble and a waste of resources to fight Marius. Additionally, he posed no threat to her and had in fact attempted to make her reasonably comfortable despite the existing conditions.

Cautiously moving in, she ran her hand over the mahogany desk. It was finished with a transparent coat of lacquer. It was complimented by a deep lush burgundy mat that served as the place for writing, as well as a protective cover for the desktop. It was home to an elegant stack of writing parchment and the accompanying writing instruments, a feather quill and a jar of ink.

The desk was matched up with a complimentary high-back chair. It was constructed with the same quality rich mahogany as the desk. The head piece of the chair had an elegant and intricate carving of a dragon staring outward. Its mouth was open and it's long narrow forked tongue protruded out. The long tail ravelled down the left side of the chair and the right was carved to resemble flames. The centre of the chair's back was graced with a soft cushion backing, with soft velvet material of a rich deep crimson red. It was complimented by the seat, which was constructed with the same delicate and supple textile.

She turned her eyes to the wall above the desk. There hung a painting, a gorgeous one at that.

"Ah yes, this is a replication of a section of the roof of the Sistine Chapel. I quite like the art myself. I'm sure a lady of your astuteness can appreciate such classic art." Marius remarked, holding a hand up, a long slender index finger stopping short of touching the frame.

Yui nodded. While she did agree with him, she still felt anger at him. He was still holding her hostage. She had to admit; he was a refined gentleman and had the characteristics of a man who respected a woman, even though he had kidnapped her.

Sighing, she gazed around again as she stepped in, studying the vicinity around her; drinking in her surroundings.

The tall wall-unit; an oak-wood book case was filled with leather-bound books. A few were notable first editions, but the rest were reprints, even though they were perfect replications. She touched the spine of a book, examining the elegant design on the spin and the artistically embossed gold letters that spelled out the titles.

She sighed, her sights still fixed on the books. Closing her eyes, she asked, "Tell me, Marius, is this an illusion or…"

"This is reality. This is the back quarters of the Italian embassy. My mother is a diplomatic representative and my father is the Italian Ambassador to Japan. However, there is a barrier between here and the rest of Tokyo. You are by all rights still in the tangible world; you just can't communicate with them." He explained, as he ran his fingers through her sun-kissed hair.

She pulled away, giving him a stern look of disapproval.

"I'm quite sorry if I offended you, but, you do have nice hair." Marius replied, taking a seat on the chair he pulled out from the desk. He folded his hands in his lap and crossed his legs, sitting upright, displaying his proper and immaculate posture.

He held up a hand and gestured at a chair against the wall. It was designed much like the one he was sitting in, although it was made with a dark rich emerald green with the fabric bolted in with brass nails. "Do, have a seat. Don't be afraid.

Nodding, she reluctantly sat.

"Now, tell me, Ms. Hongou, why are you looking at me as if you wish I would die? I do not want that fate for you, so, why do you wish the same for me." Marius asked, his tone representative of his mild-mannered nature.

"If it seems like it, it is unintentional, although… It would be nice if you let Jonathan go. He has done nothing wrong." Yui replied, not looking at Marius.

"I would, but, I need him in order to draw your beloved knight in shining armour here. After all, he did murder me last time around because of his brother. I just thought I'd recreate the same situation, but, reverse the threads of fate so that the fabric is woven with a different material."

"Then why do you need me?"

"Because the moth needs his flame," Marius explained, as he stood up, unclasping his hands. He turned his eyes to her. "Do make yourself at home. I have some business to tend to."

Without hesitating or waiting for an acknowledgement, he stood up and left the room in a graceful motion. Once he stood outside the door, he pushed the sleeve on his left arm slightly so his wrist watch was exposed. The watch appeared to be a simple gold Rolex watch, but, it was a device commonly employed by those in the business of espionage.

When the watch face was flipped up, underneath was a series of pin holes. The pin holes had Greco-Roman alphanumeric characters above them in the tiniest print. There was no way to use it unless one had a pin. The watch was equipped with one. The stem, while it seemed to serve a conventional purpose, it also doubled as a pin.

Pulling out the stem, Marius punched in a numerical sequence and waited a minute. Hearing an acknowledging set of beeps, he keyed in the phrase, "Its curtain time. Act one."

"The damsel is in. She awaits her knight in shining armour." The first young man, a tall slender young man, with a feminine yet masculine build reported. He flipped the watch face down and placed the pin back in. He addressed his colleague in Russian.

Two young men stood on the roof of the Russian Embassy, which was a just block from the Italian Embassy. They both wore watches much like the one Marius wore. Only one of the two young men had his watch active.

The young man sighed. "Are you sure this is wise?"

"Yes. I'm sure… After all, I want her to like me, but, right now, I can't tell. She's running hot and cold. She's temperamental and I can't tell whether she wants to have my babies or wants me to rot I hell because I so much as looked at her."

"But are you sure this is the way to go?"

"It's either this or make an ass of myself."

"Marius is going above and beyond the call of duty, O'Kelly."

"Tereshkova, no one asked you for your opinion."

"You are going to get it regardless. After all, I'm in on this operation."

Josef Timur Tereshkova, who was better and simply known as Joe, sighed softly. "Are you sure this is wise?"

"It's protecting Jonathan from Tetsuya and Yamato Michiko's cult, isn't it?" Shannon retorted, before taking a long drag off the joint he was smoking.

"Even so, it isn't all that wise. Maybe they should be informed." Josef protested, pushing shoulder length strands of violet hair back from his face. "Also, we need to keep Yui alert. Yamato's cult is gaining far too much momentum, especially with our former allies heading various chapters. It's unnerving to know that the chapters are headed by people who were never once victims of the amoral life most of the Seiryuu Seishi led…"

"Hey, don't forget about the goody-two-shoes Suzaku Seishi who have also turned to it." Shannon reminded Joe. "And our job is to get in and dismantle these groups from the inside, because they are responsible for an international outbreak of satanic rituals that are out to give religions like Paganism and Wicca a bad name. Their rituals are those of Satanist.

"If they keep it up, they will permanently open the portal for Shijin Tenchisho and the horrors which it embodies. I have seen Yui go through enough pain, and I don't want any other girls to go through the same thing."

"I know and sadly Andy Won, Juan Pedro Ramirez, Terry "The Fiery Canuck" McMaster and Richard Palmerton." Josef said, as he pulled out his palm pilot. "Then there are all the losers working with Yamato."

"The only ones who aren't in are you, me, Marius, Taka and Jonathan, and at that, Taka is kept out of the loop…"

"It's probably a good idea. He'd probably get killed. He's not himself yet."

"I say your data is dreadfully outdated for a KGB agent."

Josef snorted disdainfully.

Behind the two, someone sharply cleared his throat. "It's time."

"Impeccable timing Marius…"

"Of course, Shannon; I always arrive when I mean to."

"So, are we going to get this over with?" a fourth voice asked.

The fourth voice belonged to Jonathan.

He had a similar purpose in life as the other three. He was an agent assigned to the job of tracking and infiltrating the cult that was arising. He had been in on all of the details, including his own kidnapping, which really wasn't so much of a kidnapping/abduction, so much as it was a convenient relocation.

Jonathan had been raised in a military family and spent most of his years as a base brat, as well as at a military academy. He had been drafted by the CIA as a young teenager after he successfully hacked the LA police criminal database in order to delete his old criminal records. He didn't get prosecuted because they found another use for his skills.

From there, he was connected with Josef, who had been working with the youth division of the KGB for a number of years and had recently joined up professionally. Josef had connected Jonathan with Marius, but, he had never met Shannon. He had heard of his twin brother but because of the nature of Shannon, hadn't been able to meet him until the event of the unfortunate incident.

After that, once they knew what the truth was, for safety, they had decided deliberately to orchestrate a plan that would create a guise, creating the illusion that they weren't close. At first it seemed that Shannon had been willingly, but then for reasons unbeknownst to Jonathan, it went sour – at least publicly.

Marius blinked and replied shortly, "Yes."

"Is everything set, Marius?!" Shannon asked, taking out a heat-sensing device.

"It is already done… She awaits 'your' arrival."

"You know, this elaborate process could have been avoided, if you had been up front with her Shan!" Jonathan said curtly, addressing his twin brother in Pig Latin.

Shannon snorted derisively. "That's easy enough for you to say! I already tried the direct way, plus, she was in danger because Yamato is looking to get her in order to complete the satanic ritual."

He then smirked. "Or, what's the matter, jealous?!" he suggested, winking.

"You're such a leech!"

"I know… And of course, you've never liked it any other way, except hard and fast!"

"Keep whatever sex life you have out of this."

"My sex life is yours."

"If it is, why do you insist on chasing a skirt?" Jonathan challenged, poking his twin brother, and also comrade.

"It's not just any skirt, it's Yui. Besides, don't you want a threesome orgy?" Shannon purred, winking.

Marius groaned, rubbing his temples. Sighing loudly and dejectedly, he turned to Josef. "I'm really thankful I don't speak 'Pig Latin', because, I honestly don't want to know what they're talking about."

"I just ignore him. It's the easiest way." Josef replied. Like Marius, Shannon and Jonathan, they all spoke the common language of English. It was easier that way, since Jonathan spoke English, passable French and decent Japanese; since Marius spoke Italian and English; since Josef spoke Russian and English; and since Shannon spoke all of the above and then some.

Marius's sharp golden eyes darted around. "She is near. There is no time to spare. Agent O'Kelly, get Yui out of here. Agent Tereshkova, keep an eye on their movement. Agent Anderson, cover O'Kelly and I'm going to inform headquarters."

Nodding, Shannon jumped down, grabbing the window ledge. He then pried the window open and slid in, Jonathan close on his tail. Josef had kept an eye on the pair until they were out of sight and took out his motion detection device and monitored the movement of the enemies, while Marius took the basic route downstairs to the security quarters.

Removing the Glock from his jacket, Jonathan motioned for Shannon to move ahead. He pulled out his Colt and stealthily crept around the corner, moving to the doorway to the room where Marius had left Yui. After a succinct gaze over the vicinity, Shannon pushed in and Jonathan stood guard at the door.

"Yui!" Shannon called out, briefly filing away his gun.

She looked up from the book she was reading and ran for him, flinging herself at him. "Thank god… Thank you!"

He pushed her away and holding her wrist, took out his gun. He gazed at her, his eyes stern. Whispering, as he pulled her to the door, he said, "Don't make any sudden moves and don't say anything. We'll explain everything later…"

She blinked and before she could say a word, Shannon led her out into the hall and Jonathan moved in place behind Shannon.

"Go! I feel the chi of the others… Even if Tereshkova can track them, we can't be sensed! And Bartecelli can't cover us completely! Go and I'll stop them!" Jonathan hissed, passing a small object to Shannon.

Nodding, Agent O'Kelly moved quickly, dragging Yui behind him.

Crying out, Yui struggled to keep up.

"What…what's going on?" she gasped out, as she fell, after tripping over her feet. Gazing up, she glared at him. "And why is Jonathan giving you orders?"

Deciding not to answer, Shannon swept up Yui and moved quickly, going to where he had entered originally and turned to the window. Without hesitation, took her in one arm and flung out his other wrist, from which his handy latch device sprung forth from. He had flicked it in the direction of the building across the fence barrier.

A look of horror danced across Yui's face, as a sinking feeling in her stomach gave rise to a wave of nausea. Her pallor paled and she felt faint. The mere thought of bridging the gap between the two buildings without being on the ground made her terribly uneasy.

Before she could protest, Shannon swept her up against his side and leapt out of the window, soaring gracefully and landing smoothly on the roof of the building next to the Italian Embassy. He released her and nonchalantly brushed himself down.

Dropping to the ground, Yui shivered slightly. While the movement had given her a slight thrill, over all it had scared her.

"You've made it safely. Good. Where's Agent Anderson?"

"He was covering my tracks and is right behind me."

Nodding, Josef turned back to what he was doing. "It seems that they movement had subsided, but, it was still a good idea to bring her, even though there is a greater echelon of danger."

"I know, Tereshkova, but you and Bartecelli wanted me to fetch the damsel." Shannon retorted, taking out a fag and lighting up. After inhaling deeply, he added, "besides it's easier to keep an eye on her when she's here instead of back there because Yamato can easily get in and once in explore unwatched. She has the resources."

Licking his dry lips, Josef gazed over his shoulder. "O'Kelly, shouldn't Anderson be out by now?"

"Sorry, I didn't realise that I was making anyone worry." Jonathan remarked, smirking, as he walked up beside Josef.

"And now everyone is here." Marius coolly remarked, as he gazed over at Yui, who was still visibly in shock. That shock had now been compounded by the fact that the group included Marius.

Squeaking in surprise, Yui, who had stood up and moved next to Shannon, seemingly in search of protection, peered over sceptically at Marius and asked, "If you kidnapped me, why are you suddenly here being friendly and everything? Who are you, really, who are you? For that matter, who are you all?"

The four young men gazed at each other and nodded. Each of then pulled a badge from out of their inner jacket pockets and flashed the badges for Yui to see.

"Agent Josef Timur Tereshkova, KGB."

"Agent Marius Bartecelli, IISS – Italian Intelligence Secret Service."

"Agent Jonathan Anderson, CIA."

"Agent Shannon Padráig O'Kelly, Interpol, NI; IRA."

After everyone had replaced their badges, Shannon turned to Yui. "There is a reason it happened. I had asked Marius to kidnap you so it would create a guise. We knew Tetsuya was after you and he's working for Yamato Michiko, the leader of the Shijin Tenchisho Recreationist Society, additionally, Jonathan had been discovered after his cover got blown, so to create the pretence that he was no longer in the picture, Marius kidnapped him.

"At the time, he let Tetsuya come along so that Tetsuya could go back and report to Yamato that Agent Anderson was out of the picture and that you were in the hands of a societal member. Both Bartecelli and Anderson had joined in order to infiltrate.

"As it stands, Taka knows nothing and has helped us by putting Tetsuya in the hospital with a mild concussion. This also means that Tetsuya in a coma, which means he can't report back to Yamato at this time. However, it's not stopping her; so, we have to continue to act in secrecy.

"Now, we're all acting disguises. Jonathan is an acting musician, Marius is the Ambassador's son, Josef is a street performer and I'm a student. None of these seem to be related, so, we can get around easily."

"And right now, you can only trust us, Miaka and your brother. Trust no one else." Jonathan said, adding his two cents. "Just trust us…"

"But then the hostility between you two is…" Yui whispered, all the details still sinking in.

"It's an act…"


	12. Chapter 12

Someday

**Someday**

_Nothing's wrong_

_Just as long as_

_You know that someday I will_

_Someday, somehow_

_Gonna make it all right but not right now_

_I know you're wondering when_

_(You're the only one who knows that)_

_Someday, somehow_

_Gonna make it all right but not right now_

_I know you're wondering when_

(_Someday_, The Long Road, Nickelback)

The sun crept up over the horizon, but it still hadn't come up over the towering buildings of the sprawling morass that expanded for miles, as far as the eye could see. The clean glistening glass and steel-framed high-rise buildings were common place and characteristic of the downtown urban cover that was Tokyo. The sun's light shone off the pristine and seemingly spotless glass windows of the towering office buildings.

The morning sky was clear, free of the smog that tended to roll in coincidently with the increase flow of traffic, as commuters poured into the downtown core in throes, coming in from their peaceful and serene suburban paradises, free of the towering signs of progress and the visual pollution tainting the excessive development.

The only peaceful thing about morning was the chance to breathe in cool crisp air, though not fresh, and nothing more. The sky was nothing to admire, except maybe if there was a blackout, because then the lights of the Tokyo skyline wouldn't be illuminating it. The only thing gained from an instantaneous glimpse upward was a gauge of the cloud coverage and present of the sun.

This particular morning was unusually clear. The bright morning blue sky shone down onto the city, as the blazing ball of light, the sun, rose upward in its struggle to sit high in the sky, shining down on to the masses of people that mulled through the streets of the urban jungle.

At the one bus stop in front of a company's compound housing unit, stood a solo schoolgirl, holding her briefcase close to her person. She released one hand from the handle and pushed back loose strands of honey blond hair that came loose when a swift breeze swept through the quiet area, or at least it was quiet at seven in the morning. It was much busier closer toward eight because that it when most of the people left for work; they all worked up the street at the Sony manufacturing facilities.

Her parents held office positions; her mother was a cooperate salesperson and her father was the part of the international sales department. They were home, but at times, seemingly infrequently. This was one of those times.

Normally when her parents were away, she opted to stay with Shannon after she found him; before then, she was often alone and had no one to stay with and grew to resent her solitary confinement and her desire to be around people grew. She felt insecure without someone near her for long periods of time. She didn't mind being a lone, but sometimes it was weeks and even months at a time that at least one parent wasn't home.

Today, however, she hadn't, for she had chosen to stay home the night before. After the events of the past week, she wasn't sure if it was in her best interests to hang out with Shannon, especially knowing what the truth was; his seeming second life, one that he never told her about.

Also, the secrecy and ignorance had been starting to get to her as well. He never told her anything and when it came to how he felt about her, there was far too much ignorance. The sad part of all this was, she loved him, but to see him like this, hurt her so much that she was driven to distance herself from him until he could come to terms with his issues.

Of course, to make matters worse, she had now heard Jonathan's side of the story, which really opened her eyes to what was happening around her.

In fact, her memory recalled each of his every word as though he were speaking to her right now. When he had told her this, they had been in the student council office at Yotsubadai. He had come by, in order to, originally see her about festival-related activities and he had been coerced with a lot of sweet talk from Yui to divulge to her what Shannon wasn't telling her.

_The truth, so you want to know. I guess it's time you know since you have now become part of this mission, even though we did our best to avoid involving you, especially once you were a significant part of Shannon's life. Even if he did partially try to take his own life because he was depressed over your earlier rejection of him, he also did it because he needed to distance himself from you, for your sake._

_I had come into contact with him then because it wasn't going according to plan. I hadn't counted on him being mentally unstable, the others always hailed him as being the stabilizing factor for them, way before I met even, even though I knew of him,_

_So, before that, he had been station here because he was the only one of us with that amazing capacity for language the ability to get away with shit that none of us can. He is our stealth expert. He also specializes in assassinations. Well, you can't really be an assassin without being stealthy._

_So, he was placed here and Tereshkova and Bartecelli were in contact with him because Tereshkova is KGB and they have eyes and ears around the world and Bartecelli has diplomatic ties, much like Shannon. In fact, that is how they met; Shannon's father is a diplomat as well._

_Now, that is off-topic. I seem irrelevant here; my role is obscure, especially since I had none of the ties the other did. In fact, I never had much of a role until, according to Shannon; we crossed paths when I was detained while I served out my academic years at a military school. I don't recall meeting him, then again that part of my life is a haze, but he remembers and that is how he found me and tracked me until I joined the CIA because I had successfully hacked their systems. Rather than imprison me, I have to work for them._

_So, then that is how I met the other two; back when were first assigned to this mission. I had only heard Shannon's name in passing. Once we met face-to-face, we had planned it so he would act as he did and the same goes for me. We had planned it. We did it in case we were being watched. It was a way to protect each other._

It had been at this point, Yui recalled, that she had tuned out, since Jonathan wasn't saying anything interesting. It had been a few minutes later when she had asked him for more details; actually, she had just come straight out and demanded to know why Shannon acted the way he did around her.

She had been slightly shocked at the response, even though she knew she should have expected it.

_Well, he does love you. He just can't express himself because he fears you will reject him, even if you have already assured him. He doesn't feel secure about this right now. You can't be subtle with him, nor will assuring him work, you have to be direct. If you had any idea how much he cared for you, you would feel guilty right now. He cares about you so much, that he would die for you again and painfully if it meant your happiness. You are everything for him._

_Yui, take him and make him feel loved. He doesn't need anything else from you, except your love and acceptance. If you told him you would be his girlfriend and loved him unconditionally, he would be a lot more stable. But, because you haven't been straight-forward with him and because you hold back, he doesn't understand how you feel and then feelings get hurt._

The look in Jonathan's eyes made Yui feel weak. She had never thought that Shannon, who seemed so tough and unforgiving, could be in such a position. She had held back the tears until she was alone and just cried.

Even now, she felt like crying and all because she hadn't been able to tell Shannon exactly how she felt. It was really starting to bother her.

As a tear slid down her face, it shone briefly; it reflected a hue of azure blue before it trickled down her chin and splashed on the ground. As it splashed, it erupted into an encompassing blue light that embraced her, removing her from where she stood in Tokyo to a new place; a place with unfamiliar surroundings.

She cried out, clutching her schoolbag closely.

"Seiryuu no Miko… Yui…"

She turned, her eyes widening.

Before her stood a humble Seiryuu-seikun, his eyes sombre and his usual arrogant expression gone. "Seiryuu no Miko, help me… Help us… This world is without question is going to collapse if the gates to hell are open. Only you can stop it."

She stood, speechless.

In her place from where she had vanished, had appeared a glowing blue scroll. It sat on the ground, with no one taking notice of it, except for one girl, a young girl about fourteen years old. She wore the same school uniform as Yui. She left a little later because she wasn't on the student council. Hence, when she arrived, she found the scroll.

Picking it up, the russet haired girl took a quick glance around and undid the string holding the scroll together and unrolled it, reading the kanji appeared. She didn't think anything of it, just followed it, as she thought to herself. 'I have found one of the four. I am one step closer to preventing them from getting their hands on these.'

Rolling it back up, she tied the string around it and placed it in her bag and started to walk away from the bus stop, only to bump into a young man moving along quickly. She bounced off him and fell to the ground, landing her bottom. She rubbed her rump indignantly, as she glared up. "Hey, watch where you're going, asshole!"

"I'm very sorry!" the young man, who happened to actually be Jonathan Anderson, apologised, as he held out his hand, offering her a hand up. "It wasn't my intention…"

The girl snorted. "Yeah, whatever…" she glared at him and then smirked and decided to address him in English. "So, you be a Yankee, ain't ya?"

"At least when I speak English, I don't make a point to." Jonathan replied curtly. This girl certainly had no shortage of attitude.

She glared at him, her indignation rising. "What's that mean?"

"It means I don't make a point to sound like a blithering bible-thumping grade-school drop-out Republican." Jonathan retorted, smirking. This girl deserved to hear this.

"I ain't dense! I ain't no drop-out! Heck, me's goin' to Yotsubadai n' in grade twelve." The girl replied, as she smoothed back her hair. "And ya ain't southern, yer a Yank, I ain't one, y'hear."

"Yes, I hear perfectly fine, and hell, at that, I speak fine too… And I certainly don't sound like I got marbles in my mouth."

"Ain't yer mama teach ya to treat a gal like a lady, or ya Yanks ain't got no charm no more?"

"They teach us how to treat each other and how to talk instead of drawl incoherently."

He blinked and gazed closely at her. "You have something on you… Something that has its own chi..."

She glared at him. "I ain't got nothin'!"

"Well, between your ears that is true."

She sputtered indignantly. "Yer rude! God'll punish ya fer yer sins!"

"I don't have time for religious bullshit; if I wanted to here it, I'd tell O'Kelly I'm an atheist." Jonathan replied coolly. What he had said is true; it would happen; heck, it had already. He had earlier in the year declared to Marius, Josef and Shannon that he didn't believe in God and got lynched by Shannon who played judge juror and executioner.

"God'll punish ya fer it!"

"Enough already…" Jonathan groaned. He blinked again, only this time instead of feeling a chi; he heard an eerily familiar melody run through his veins. He glanced at her bag where he heard the song from.

Pulling out his badge, he held it up. "Agent Jonathan Anderson, CIA; I need to see your bag."

The girl scowled at him, but handed it over anyway.

After a couple of minutes of futile rummaging, Jonathan pulled out the scroll. His eyes widened. "This…" he gasped, as the kanji appeared before his eyes. "This is…" He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to confiscate this scroll. Here's your bag, Miss Kate McMaster."

He then handed back her student card.

She glared at him, and huffily put the card back in her bag. She turned and started to leave, but then stopped and gazed back over her shoulder. "Who're ya really?"

"I'm Jonathan Anderson."

"Now try 'gain, 'cause yer lyin'."

He arched an eyebrow.

"Yer… Yer one o Seiryuu's, ain't ya? Yer…yer like Amiboshi or somethin', huh?!"

"Uh…" he blinked dumbly. He didn't know how to respond, especially now that she was bringing up something that, while true, very few knew of. He quickly recovered and replied, "and you're assuming this because…"

"I felt yer chi." She responded bluntly.

Jonathan blinked. He hadn't felt one from her; actually, he did, but it was faint. It wasn't anything really worth taking note of, but yet, as insignificant as it was, it was unique. He didn't remember this particular chi.

"Yea, I feel chi too, like 'em apples?" she smirked.

Jonathan again stared blankly at her.

"Ya oughta know! Ya was me 'fore, huh!"

"I was?"

"N' ya call me stupid…"

"If I was stupid, I'd be a McMaster." Jonathan replied clipped. He cast her one more glance and put the scroll in the inner pocket of his jacket.

She again sputtered indignantly, feeling her face go red.

Her eyes narrowed as he walked away. "If yer smart, ya'd've not walked 'round with yer head up yer ass when th'truth is right in front o'ya…especially when I know 'bout th'cult than ya does."

He turned back. He smirked. Hanging around Shannon had paid off. The guy knew how to get around the law and work it in one's favour when it proved to be successful.

"Don't even think 'bout it."

Jonathan scowled. "It's your responsibility as a patriot to tell me everything you know."

"N' if I ain't gonna?" she challenged. "N' ya can't do nothin' to me 'cause ya ain't no police or FBI and youse only a CIA asshole."

"Either tell me what you know, or make like the wind and blow!"

"Yer th'one who gone n' done the search 'n seizure, I ain't detained or nothin', so I ain't talkin'. I know me rights." Kate replied adjusting her grip on her bag.

"Even so, you confessed to have knowledge in the matter of the cult. It is a crime against the United States of America to withhold such details. It is perjury and it is punishable by law. You are an American living on foreign soil, but still one nonetheless, so you can be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

"Ya done yet? Dang, ain't ya ever gonna shut the heck up?" Kate scoffed, as she turned away and ran back to the stop and whipping out her pass, she boarded the bus before Jonathan could catch her.

Cursing to himself, Jonathan sighed. 'Damnit, she got away! And she has information I needed…'

He then smirked. 'She does go to the same school as Yui. So, at least I know where I can find this bloody ignorant redneck bitch… GOD! I'm starting to sound like Shannon.'

"And you say that like it's a bad thing."

Jonathan jumped, coming to face Shannon. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough..." Shannon replied, stepping directly in Jonathan's way. "You have no idea how to handle little stupid Yankees, do you?"

"Look, she was being difficult and…"

"It doesn't matter. You just hold a gun to the brat's head and threaten to blow their brains out if they don't want to cooperate."

"Shannon, this isn't Northern Ireland."

"So?"

Jonathan rolled his eyes. He didn't understand how Shannon could be his brother. They were like night and day; he was somewhat of a pacifist and Shannon was a trigger-happy moron.

"You know you love me the way I am." Shannon purred, wrapping an arm around Jonathan's shoulders and nuzzling his brother's neck. "And you can't say you don't!"

"Get off me, asshole! Not in public!" Jonathan pushed Shannon away. "And besides, don't you have a thing for Yui?"

"She is too picky. She runs hot and cold…a little too much for my liking…" Shannon replied, with a shrugged. "I mean, I do love her, but, she hasn't made her feelings clear to me. Even when she tells me how she feels; I don't know, there is just something I don't like about it. She claims she's changed, but, I don't think I can trust her yet…"

Jonathan smirked. "How dense you are, brother dearest." He rested his forehead against Shannon's. "If you just opened up your heart, you'd know how much she loves you. Brother, she's crazy for you. She can't take much more of waiting for you to come to your senses. Your feelings towards her are ambiguous and she is starting to get hurt because of it.

"You worry about hurting her, but, brother, by not telling her exactly how you feel and opening up your heart to her, you are only hurting her more than she could ever hurt you. She may not look weak, but she is far more vulnerable that you are."

Shannon sighed, closing his eyes. How could he have been so blind? Yui had opened up herself more to him that he had to her. She had put her heart on her sleeve, hoping that he still felt the same way, but he had been too ignorance to notice.

Tears freely fell from his eyes.

"Shannon?" Jonathan asked, placing a hand to his brother's face. "Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing." He replied quickly, turning away.

"No, you're crying!"

"No I'm not; I just have something in my eye."

"Stop being a pigheaded macho son of a bitch and just admit that you are! And, tell me why…"

"No I don't need to, because there's nothing wrong!" Shannon barked sharply and turned, leaving Jonathan in shock.

"Shannon… Wait…" he whispered. He sighed, feeling helpless.

He lowered his hand and brought his chin down. He wished his brother didn't act like this.

He started to pivot to do the other way, but stopped suddenly.

He groaned, as he saw Shannon jumping around wildly as a bolt of blue lightening was hot on his trail. As this happened, Jonathan felt the scroll on his jacket heat up, and pulled it out, quickly; he gasped.

_Seiryuu who had began to explain his reason for summon Seiryuu no Miko had stopped part way through and asked her if she had a Seishi she wanted to have along to help and protect her. To which Seiryuu no Miko replied that she wishes for Seiryuu Seishi Suboshi to accompany her…_

Taking out his flute, Jonathan raised it and as Shannon ran by, Jonathan clubbed his twin on the head with it, as he ordered, "stop it and let it take you!"

"Why?" Shannon whined, as he rubbed the bump on his head, pouting,

"Because this scroll says so!!" Jonathan replied, sticking his tongue out at his brother.

"It does, let me see that…" Shannon grabbed the scroll from Jonathan and began reading. He blinked, unable to understand why characters were just appearing on the page.

_Having been summoned before Seiryuu-seikun, Seiryuu no Miko waits. She is unsure, as she doesn't know what will happen next._

_Seiryuu-seikun paused in his plea for help from her and said to her, asking her if she had a preference for who her preferred Seishi is. He waited not long, for she needed no deliberation time before she declared she wished for…_

Shannon groaned. He didn't like where this was going.

Smirking, Jonathan draped himself over his brother. "Aw, don't keep me in suspense, I want to know…"

_Seiryuu-seikun having heard Seiryuu no Miko's request fulfilled it and before him appeared, rather than just the one Seishi, whom Seiryuu no Miko cherished, but two of her Seishi._

_They were stunned to find out, as they kept staring at the scroll, reading the events as they happened, that they had in fact been summoned…_

"…to some fucking hell hole!" Shannon declared, whining, as he glanced up from the scroll he had been reading from.

"Eh?? How did I wind up here?" Jonathan groused. "The light was chasing him and now I get summoned to this hell hole?!"

"I didn't know I reincarnated you both to be whiners."

Both of the brothers squeaked, realising that they were now standing before Seiryuu.

"Seiryuu no Miko-sama, are you sure these are the Seishi you want? I mean, they are whiney little bastards. Are you sure you wouldn't rather have Tomo here, after all, he is a model individual, who has a sense of confidence and dignity, as well as common sense."

Yui blinked, and then shook her head. Staring Seiryuu firmly in the eye, she replied sternly, "No, I've made up my mind. I want Shannon to help me… No, I want both of them to help me. I trust both of them. If I can trust Shannon, I can trust Jonathan."

Seiryuu stared at her and giving an acknowledging nod, he sighed, as he spoke. "I'm quite sure you two know about the cult."

The twins nodded.

"What you likely don't know is that in addition to the four Shinzahou in this world, there are four in the other world, and in order to prevent the cult from opening the gates to hell, all four must be gathered in addition to the Scrolls of the Light."

He gestured to the scroll that Shannon held. "The other one, the one of Suzaku is in the history club room. Yuuki Keisuke is protecting it.

"The last part is the book, which they already have their hands on. The book has allowed them to destroy the portals. These portals, if all destroyed, will make it possible for them to, easily gain access to this world in order to find all the Shinzahou.

"They have already destroyed the portals guarded by Suzaku, Byakko and Genbu. Taiitsu-kun is in danger. I am the only one who has safely contacted ones we can trust. This means you, Seiryuu no Miko. The fate of both worlds rests on you and your loyal guardians."

Opening his hand, he produced two identical rings. He handed on to Yui and one to the twins. "Just hang on to these. They will serve their purpose later. For you, Seiryuu no Miko, it is the identifying factor to prove that you are to be trusted, and the other one is to link you to your guardians.

"I can no longer stay. I am making myself scarce in order to hold the last portal up at least long enough until you can get the parts you need to prevent the cult from gaining its goals to merge the two worlds and open the gates of hell.

"You are our only hope, Seiryuu no Miko…"

With his parting words, Seiryuu vanished, as did the room, leaving them in the dilapidating remains of what appeared to be Mount Taikyoku.

"Help me… Help me…" a seemingly young girl stumbled towards them, her teal hair was dishevelled. She gazed up at them. "Seiryuu no Miko… Please, help us! My home…Taiitsu-kun-sama's home… Our world, it's falling apart! Miaka helped us before, but she can't now because Suzaku is in danger and possibly dead! You are our only hope!

"Place all your trust in Seiryuu, and if you even lose one of those rings… Just…I don't want to even know what will happen."

"Who are you?" Yui asked, holding up the girl.

"Nyan-Nyan… I've been hiding here for the last while. My powers are strained by the constant attacks on the final portal. Seiryuu can hold up, but I don't want him to fall as well. I do what I can, but, I'm growing weaker because even my powers become drained eventually. I may have been Taiitsu-kun's most powerful assistant, but I am not that strong. The last attack….I barely escaped from.

"For the sake of everything you cherish, Seiryuu no Miko, you must succeed. When I recover, I'll try and help you, but I won't make any promises…" she whispered. "For if they find me, they will find Taiitsu-kun… She is hiding out. She is powerless now that three portals have been broken, because she spent the bulk of her chi fortifying the gate long enough so that either you, or Miaka could seal the gates of hell…

"And, you are the only one who can, since Seiryuu is the only one who can summon his Miko. You are the saviour; the Messiah. This is a chance not only to save this world, but yours as well. You can do it. Seiryuu believes in you..." Nyan-Nyan weakly smiled over at Shannon and Jonathan. "And so do they…"

Taking off her necklace, Nyan-Nyan handed it over, placing it in Yui's hand. "This has my chi in it. It will protect you. It will help you… It will resonate slightly when you are near the Shinzahou. Good luck to you, Seiryuu no Miko, now leave; you must do so now before anyone finds out about this."

Nodding, Yui placed the necklace on, and being led out by Shannon and Jonathan, quickly found that they had entered a vast empty wasteland.

They blinked and looked at each other, and realising he still held the scroll, Jonathan took it out, looking for an answer.

"Jonathan, that won't work, since the text appears as actions happen…" Shannon pointed out grimly, and then smirked. "But, by all means, don't let me stop you…"

"Damnit!" Jonathan cursed, and then giggled as his response appeared on the scroll.

"Now, if you're both done being stupid, put that scroll away. We need to figure out where we are… I don't remember ever having come here before." Yui said, as she pulled closer to Shannon, feeling slightly intimidated by her unknown and new surroundings.

"This is the centre point for all four countries, and, since we are Seiryuu Seishi and Miko, our next logical move is to go to Kutou." Shannon suggested, placing an arm around Yui, holding her close, without really realising what he was doing.

"The quickest way is through the backwoods, going that way!" Jonathan replied, pointing at the nearby woods. "I remember it, from when I trekked through here on my way to Konan-koku in search of the Suzaku Seishi.

"And Shannon knows because he had followed me up to this point so that he could go back to the capital knowing I was safe. He hadn't been keen on me going to into Konan."

Yui nodded, but then sighed softly. "But, there was the war… And the emperor of Kutou was killed by Nakago and unlike Miaka I hadn't visited back here in so, long, so how are they going to know I'm Seiryuu no Miko? Or, at that, believe I am Seiryuu no Miko?"

"Don't worry, we can still prove who we are by presenting our Seishi 'characters'," Shannon explained, by touching his hand to his left shoulder. "And when we both focus our chi, we can enhance yours, which means you will be able to emit a stronger chi and our 'characters' will appear on your body.

"Even if it is only two, they are still proof enough."

Watching as Shannon held Yui, Jonathan smiled to himself. Maybe his twin, as dense as he was, may have figured out the solution to one of his problems. But then again, that would be asking too much, since it seemed that Shannon had just got himself a smack in the face.

Not bothering to ask, he took out the scroll and groaned loudly. Shannon was such a pathetic retard!

'SHANNON! You do NOT grope a girl when comforting her!' Jonathan yelled at his brother via telepathy.

"Ow…" Shannon moaned, as he leaned against his brother. "Fuck… Who knew women could hit so hard…"

"And here I thought you figured out how to treat Yui! At this rate, she'll forget about you and the cycle will start all over again. Stop acting like a moron, apologize to her and tell her how you feel!" Jonathan growled scathingly, as he pushed his brother back in Yui's direction.

"No, I don't want to hear excuses right now!" Yui declared huffily and moved away, as Shannon, fell flat on his face. She moved away and sat against a tree nearby.

Moaning loudly, Shannon propped himself up on his arms, scowling. "Any other bright ideas, asshole? I knew this fucking shit was going to happen! This is exactly why I say 'fuck it' to the whole thing! Even if I told her how I feel, I'll get fucked over and not in a good way!"

"You don't know until you try! And you can start by getting the hell up off the ground! That is so pathetic! Fuck and you're a world-class assassin and espionage agent? That at times like this, I found that impossible to believe…"

"Oh sure, kick me when I'm down!" Shannon wailed dramatically.

Jonathan gave him a dirty look. "Don't give me that bullshit! You know you love her, so just go and tell her!"

Getting up, Shannon dusted himself off. "That's easy for you to say! You're not the one putting your heart on the line!"

"At least if I cared about her, I would! By the way you act; I wouldn't think you do…"

"I do so care about her! I care so much that it fucking hurts! If you had any idea how much I loved her, you would understand why it's hard for me to say anything!" Shannon barked angrily at his brother, unaware that his voice was carrying.

Yui looked up, feeling her eyes tear up. 'He does…feel the same…' Standing up, she moved soundlessly back over.

Without hesitation she flung her arms around him, still crying. Holding him close, she whispered. "Why would it have been so hard to say that? Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say this? I've waited so long… I know it can be hard to say such things. But, I wish you had said this to me sooner… I mean, saying that you do care and love me…"

"Yui…" he whispered, touching his hand to hers. He shut his eyes, gazing down. He hadn't realised that she had overheard. How strange it felt now that she knew how he felt. He licked up bottom lip, his throat dry.

"Shannon…" she continued in a whisper. "You don't have to be alone any more. I feel the same way you do. We can be alone together now. We have each other. Please don't shut me out any more. I want you as much as you want me. Please…include me in your life.

"_Ashiteru_…"

Watching this, Jonathan felt a lump in his throat. He swallowed it. He felt happy for his brother. Yet, he still didn't want to say anything, as he thought to himself. 'You have her now, Shannon. She is yours; just don't fuck it up…'


	13. Chapter 13

Good Times Gone

**Good Times Gone**

_Lost it on the chesterfield  
Or maybe on  
A gamblin' wheel  
Lost it in a diamond mine  
It's dark as hell  
And hard to find  
You can climb to the  
Top of the highest tree  
You can look around  
But you still won't see  
What I'm lookin' for_

(_Good Times Gone_, Silver Side Up, Nickelback)

His eyes were lazily turned upward, staring up at the clear, starlit sky. He lay on his back in a field next to long stalks of wheat billowing in the wind. He was alone with just his thoughts. He had wanted this when he left behind his two companions. He deliberately did so, on purpose. He knew he would be a third wheel at a time like this and he certainly felt like one.

Being out here, made him forget about that and let himself embrace the solace that was nature. The calm of the night brought a wave of peacefulness to his soul, something he hadn't felt in the longest time. He smiled serenely. How good this felt.

Sighing contentedly, he sat up, and leaned against a seemingly out of place rock. Taking out his flute, he used the rock as a prop for his back, as he began to play. A soft happy set of melodic notes emitted from his flute, reflecting how he felt at the very moment.

When his brother had refused to go quietly, he had wound up going as well and getting drafted for the mission of gathering the four Shinzahou that were in this world. Seiryuu had given them nothing except two useless rings and a map, and with these, they were expected to save the world. He had laughed at the idea, not so much because the situation was funny but more because it was implausible at the moment. They had nothing to work with.

'At least when Nakago sent me to screw up the summoning, I didn't have to find my way to Konan blindly, I did have help.' He thought, as he lowered his flute for a moment, as he stared across the field, over to the small thicket where he had left his brother and Seiryuu no Miko, who was better known as Yui.

Closing his eyes, he turned away and raised the flute to his lips and began to play a soft melody, which carried over the breeze.

He felt the music embrace him, as a second set of notes penetrated the air.

He opened his eyes looking, as his brother walked over to him, playing what appeared to be a pennywhistle. The pitch of the pennywhistle matched that of his flute.

As he played, he smiled at his companion and with a nod; the two switched melodies and opted for something more up beat. He listened briefly and realised that his brother was playing the introduction to a traditional song. His adjusted his melody to match.

The music that came from the two instruments was in perfect synchronisation.

After a few minutes, Jonathan, who had been playing the flute, lowered it and nodded at Shannon. He had been surprised that his brother could play a wind instrument and well; almost as well as he could.

"I didn't know you could…"

"Call it a well-kept secret."

Acknowledging the reply with a nod, Jonathan arched an eyebrow. "Why is your chi unshielded and, why aren't you with Yui?" his eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

Smacking Jonathan, or at least trying, as he dodged it, Shannon replied, or, more like grunted, "I didn't do anything! Further, I'm not with her because she wanted to be alone right now because she wanted to contact Miaka and lastly, my chi is unshielded because I put a protective chi barrier around her using the ryuuseisui."

That was true, because a few yards away, Yui sat on her knees, as she stared down at the scroll, on which she had placed her small handheld mirror, something Miaka had given her on her birthday a years months ago. The mirror was being used because Miaka had the exact same one, as she had bought both of them at the same time and suggested that they both have one in case either one of them is ever summoned back to this world and they need to contact the other.

As luck would have it, Yui had packed it in her school bag today for some reason. She hadn't known why she had done it that morning, but, now it would serve her well.

She smiled as her friend's face appeared.

"Yui-chan!" Miaka called out. "Where are you? Sensei called your name during roll call and you didn't answer! I looked for you in the student council office after class and no one's seen you today…"

Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a small o. "No…you didn't get summoned back into the book…"

Yui smiled grimly. "Unfortunately, I did. Seiryuu summoned me, I didn't get any warning about this, and no strange dream like you did. He just summoned me this morning and I wound up at Mount Taikyoku.

"From there, we found ourselves thrown into the fray. We have to gather the four Shinzahou here again, and then the other four…"

"What are you talking about, Yui-chan?" Miaka asked, appearing perplexed. "And what's this about the four Shinzahou…I thought they were already used! And there's four here?"

Sighing, Yui closed her eyes, as she gathered her thoughts. She had a lot of information, mainly from what she had learned when in the presence of the four agents and what Jonathan and Shannon had told her afterward when they were away from the group. Opening them again, she gazed at Miaka. "Find a place to sit because this is going to take a while."

"I'm outside right now; there's no one around, so, go ahead."

"There are four portals into this world, guarded by Genbu, Byakko, Suzaku and Seiryuu. Three of the portals have been destroyed by usurping the gods; yes, Miaka, Suzaku is in trouble and Seiryuu doesn't know where he is.

"Only Seiryuu remains and he fears what is happening.

"There is a cult in our world that is bent on joining the two worlds, which will inevitably brew chaos and open the gates to hell, which lie right under Mount Taikyoku, which for millenniums been the barrier between order and chaos.

"The cult is headed by Yamato Michiko, a girl who goes to our school. She has a reputation at the school; a violent one. She is tied to the Yakuza, so she has many cronies, and she has got them to follow her.

"She isn't working alone; she has other people working for her. One of them is Jakob Nylund, or, Nakago, who is still hell-bent on world domination. She is working with him because he'll get her what she wants – power. She is more power hungry that he is.

"Then she has two Americans who debunked Genbu's portal, Eugene Manley, alias Miboshi and Luke Campbell, alias Ashitare. They hold a stronghold in America. They are in it for the chance to seek revenge against a world that was cruel to them.

"But not all the Seiryuu Seishi are, involved. Shannon O'Kelly, who you already know, is an agent from Northern Ireland. He's an international spy, working along side with Jonathan Anderson, who you know to be Amiboshi. He's an agent from the CIA. The last one is Marius Bartecelli, an Italian spy agent. Marius you'd better know as Tomo.

"The only Suzaku Seishi not involved are, Taka, who has no idea what is going on, even though he's close friends with Shannon, and Josef Timur Tereshkova, who you better know as Nuriko. Tereshkova is a KGB agent, working with O'Kelly, Anderson and Bartecelli.

"The other Suzaku Seishi part of the movement, including Andy Won, who has inspired his following to join this cause, Juan Pedro Ramirez, who used his influence the same way, Richard Palmerton and Terry McMaster who are responsible for bringing down the portal of Suzaku and Byakko.

"They are the only major players that we know of. There is a possibility of another one, Kate McMaster, that small ignorant American redneck, whose idea of beating me academically is being first academically in sex-ed; of course, she'd be because Americans are experienced in sexual promiscuity."

Miaka giggled, and nodded, waiting for Yui to continue.

"According to Shannon, of who we know, we can trust your brother, but he says that Tetsuya's motives and intentions are questionable. No one yet knows the guy's stance in all of this. In fact, he says, even if he hadn't done any of the stuff he had before, he would still be wary of him." Yui explained, as she pushed strands of honey blond hair out of her eyes.

"I can understand. Oniichan mentioned something about Tetsuya-kun acting strangely lately…" Miaka blinked sweetly, but then frowned. "But, then, it might have something to do with the fact that Taka knocked him out cold, putting him in a coma for a few days; Tetsuya-kun did hit his head hard enough…"

"What happened to warrant Taka's attack? It doesn't sound like him, sounds more like something Shannon would do." Yui remarked.

"Apparently it has something to do with your earlier disappearance…" Miaka replied cautiously.

"That I can explain!" Yui replied quickly.

Miaka gazed curiously at Yui.

"So, what happened, is, Shannon, Jonathan, Marius and Josef, all working together uncovered a threat against me because Seiryuu was the only one not debunked, so Yamato had a hit out on me. So, rather than just protecting me, they staged a fake abduction, in which Marius kidnapped me, and Shannon, along with Josef, since Jonathan was in hiding after a botched infiltration, they came to 'rescue' me, even though it later turned out, Marius was in fact protecting me and they only did it so I wouldn't know.

"I found out all this because I wound up being present when the group was gathered."

Miaka nodded. At least that much made sense…well, kind of did. "So, then why did Seiryuu transport you back to the other world?"

"Suzaku was unable to enlist your help, so, Seiryuu stepped in and enlisted mine. He explained that I was to gather four Shinzahou from this world, and that they are needed to restore the portal protection on this side. He then added that I needed the other four from our world to close the portals to anyone except the four gods."

"But why start there?"

"Because Seiryuu needed me to enact the power of the Shinzahou so that four gates would be restored and it would give him more time to get back the other four. The four Shinzahou in our world is merely to close the book and prevent the gate from being opened by just anyone.

"Once he has restored the other three, they can fight and protect at least their end. The remaining four Shinzahou will ensure that the cult fails and that it can no longer collect the four Shinzahou needed to break down the barrier between the two worlds.

"Without the gods, it will be easy. If the gods aren't debunked, then it requires the Miko to do it. The cult won't use a Miko, meaning you or me because you won't do anything without knowing that Taka is nearby, and I don't want anything to do with Jakob, or any of them, except Shannon and Jonathan."

Miaka listened intently, her expression sombre. When Yui finished, Miaka spoke up. "What can I do?"

"What?"

"I said: what can I do? If there are eight Shinzahou, four in each world, it would be too time consuming if just you tracked them down, so, it wouldn't it save time if I looked of the four here while you searched for the four there?"

Yui nodded, eagerly accepting, but then frowned. "You can, but, I can't give you any clues that will point in that direction."

"I found the Genbu and Byakko Shinzahou without much help!" Miaka declared happily. "So, I could easily find the other four. Don't worry about this world; I'll take of everything over here."

"You will?" Yui replied, her eyes widening. She smiled brightly at her friend. "_Arigatou, Miaka!_"

Nodding, Miaka added, "and, the scroll? Where is it?"

"That's the strange part; it's here with me…" Yui replied, holding it up, touching it to the corner of the mirror.

She held it there and without warning, it emitted a blue light and vanished from her hand.

She stared shocked as it vanished from her hand, and heard an immediate reaction on the other end as Miaka let out a scream of surprise.

"Miaka?!" she asked concernedly.

"Wha…what is this? This scroll...?" Miaka queried, holding it up.

Yui's eyes widened. "That was the scroll that was here…"

"Oh…" Miaka replied as it dawned on her.

She gasped. "Yui-chan…I think there's someone listening. I've got to go!"

"_Matte yo_…MIAKA!!" Yui exclaimed, as the mirror turned back to her reflection. Sighing, she pocketed the mirror and wandered back over to where Jonathan and Shannon sat.

She gazed at them for a minute. She smiled as she watched Shannon pull Jonathan closer to him, their laughter reaching her ears.

_Seiryuu no Miko, under the escort and protection of two her two loyal Seishi; the twins, was headed for the capital of Kutou in order to seek out the Shinzahou._

_She had no idea what waited for her. All she could do was hope that nothing would do wrong and that not a lot of time had past since she had last been here. However, she knew that the emperor that had asked her to be Seiryuu no Miko had been brutally murdered by Seiryuu Seishi Nakago, who himself was now dead._

_She stood close to her Seishi, the warmth of their bodies comforting for her._

_As she clung to the older of the brothers, they approached the gates of the Imperial Palace of Kutou-koku. They were stopped by the guards_…

"Okaasan! Miaka! I'm home." a male voice called, as a door was closed behind him.

Miaka gazed up from the scroll she was reading. Currently, she sat on the chesterfield in the living room when her older brother, Yuuki Keisuke entered the room. She smiled at him.

"Oniichan, Okaasan is working overtime tonight." She replied as she stretched back.

"Anou? Miaka, what is that?" Keisuke asked, as he walked into the living room after removing his outdoor shoes and putting on his home shoes. He sat next to his sister as he continued to gaze over at the coffee table.

She held it up. "This? The scroll of Seiryuu."

"Seiryuu…" he whispered in shock.

Nodding, Miaka placed the scroll back down onto the table and spread it out. Pointing back to the beginning of the scroll, she replied, "Yes, Seiryuu. He summoned Yui-chan back to the other world."

"Seiryuu is the only one now protecting that world…" a third voice remarked.

Miaka turned and scowled. "You!"

"You say it like it's a bad thing." He smirked, tilting his sun glasses down.

Keisuke gazed up.

"Tetsuya…? How do you know?" Miaka growled, taking a defensive stance, as she glared daggers at him. "Unless…unless…you're one of them!"

Keisuke blinked. He had no idea what was going on…as usual.

Kajiwara Tetsuya sighed, and nodded. "Of course you'd think that, it's only natural…"

He removed his shades and walked over to the window and leaned against the metal support beam. "I never wanted to get involved… Yamato Michiko, who attends Yotsubadai, approached me after O'Kelly went Seishi on my ass and asked me if I knew Yui. After I told her about what happened. She seemed quite gleeful… She then asked me to come with her. I didn't know what she was doing. The next thing I knew, I was at a strange gathering, many of the reincarnated Seishi there…

"In a pit of fire before us, a girl threw in a scroll. She seemed to be the Miko. She then after doing so, turned to me, and remarked, 'you must be the one who Yamato brought...the one who hates Yui…and all the others.'

"I didn't know how to respond. I shrugged, and she then said she was Kate McMaster, Nyosei no Miko. Nyosei-koku is an island nation occupied with Amazon women, and their god, Nyosei is a minor demon of Tenkou, but, since the sealing of Tenkou, Nyosei has taken over the underworld as the evil lord, and has caused the downfall of Genbu, Byakko and Suzaku with the help of her Miko, Kate.

"Nyosei, like Tenkou has no Seishi, only minions, those who seek godly powers. But, unlike Tenkou can seduce her minions into following her. They follow her because of her beauty and the lure of power. Tenkou uses negative energy.

"Now then…" Tetsuya held out his hand. "Give me your ring!" His eyes were dark.

It took a minute before it sunk in. After recovering from the shock, Miaka glared hatefully at him. "Just because you're telling me this doesn't excuse that you are indeed one of them!"

"Just give it!" Tetsuya barked.

"NEVER!!" Miaka cried pulling her hand close to her body.

"Suzaku is already dead… If you want to see the world you know destroyed… then hang on to it… Yes, that's it; just keep clutching to a false hope…that everything will work out…"

"NO! I'm not giving it to you!"

"Be reasonable…"

"I'm not being an accessory to this evil!"

"Just give it!"

"NO!" Miaka shrieked as she raised a fist, not noticing the fact that her rage had spawned a burst in her chi. A rich crimson red glowed protectively around her. "I will never give this to any member of the evil side! You are only here pretending to be nice because you think I'm naïve! I'm not and you will never get it!"

She thrust her fist forward and the red jewel on her ring, glowed then exploded, emitting a burst of chi, which knocked Tetsuya backward onto his ass.

Gasping, she stared at her hand, 'Suzaku…'

Keisuke just stared in shock as this all unfolded.

He then diverted his attention to the scroll, as characters kept appearing on it. He ignored Miaka's shock and Tetsuya's pain as he began to read the recently added characters.

_Seiryuu no Miko and her Seishi approached the gates of Kutou-koku. But, instead of passing through like they much expected to, they were intercepted by the guards at the gate who refused to let them by._

_They were hassled until the eldest twin's fury was unable to be contained and in a blink of an eye, blood spewed from the torn flesh of the guards, as they fell, realising who he was, Suboshi, the hot-headed protector of Seiryuu no Miko._

_Nearby guards saw and didn't dare move, for he was stronger. Instead, the newly appointed Shogun of Kutou-koku approached them and beckoned them to follow, and he brought them before the imperial majesty of Kutou-koku_.

"Mei-Ling-dono, these people were at the gates, wanting to be brought before you." The shogun knelt before the young imperial majesty, who turned out to be a young empress.

She raised a hand and dismissed the shogun. She turned to them. "State your business, and why the insolent behaviour? Why do you not bow before me?"

"Why the hell should we? We're here to save the bloody country from the brink of destruction… Yet again." Shannon spat angrily as he stepped towards the throne, and no guards dared stopped him, for they would be taking their lives in their hands.

"How dare you act this way! SEIZE HIM!!" the young empress barked.

"But…but…your majesty, he is Suboshi and he is much more dangerous than he was before. He…he… They say he is stronger than Ayuru-sama!" one of the guards cried out, fearfully eyeing Shannon.

"Fools! I made an order now follow up on it!" she cried, but instead found herself cornered by Shannon, who had removed her from the throne and carried her down to the floor and dropped her in front of Yui.

"This is Seiryuu no Miko. Now, you ungrateful little brat, bow before her!" he growled, pressing a foot on her back.

She looked, through the stands of golden blond hair that fell in her face, back up over her shoulder, her deep blue eyes blazing. "And just who the hell do you think you are?"

"I am Seiryuu Seishi Suboshi, the protector of Yui-sama; Seiryuu no Miko-sama." He replied, pressing his foot on her back.

She cried out and tried to hit him. "I don't care! Get off me!"

"Shannon… Let up. There is something family about her. Pick her up…" Jonathan asked, eyeing her seriously.

Complying, Shannon took his foot off her and picked her up by the collar and held her up before Jonathan who studied her carefully before replying. "A Hin empress… I'm surprised. The Hin were killed before we were born so, how is it that you are Hin?"

"My father was Hin! My father, Ayuru…" she explained and then smirked, a smirk that struck a note of familiarity in the hearts of Shannon, Jonathan and Yui. "Or, who you'd know better as Nakago. My mother was Kaen, or Soi."

"How did the last emperor die?" Yui asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Otousan killed him before he buried Okaasan." She said dejectedly, having given up getting out of Shannon's grasp.

"And now this kid is empress?" Shannon replied distastefully.

"Watch it, or I'll have the guards throw you in prison!" Empress Mei-Ling cried indignantly.

Shannon smirked. "I'll put you down on one condition."

She scowled. "Fine, what?"

"You tell us where the Seiryuu Shinzahou is."

"I will never do such a thing."

Yui glared at Mei-Ling. "I am Seiryuu no Miko; I am above the empress, and the emperor, so you will comply, or else!"

"Or else what?" the young empress challenged, smirking.

"Shannon… a nice Indian Burn ought to convince her." Yui suggested.

Nodding, he replied, "one Indian Burn coming right up." Binding her in place with telekinesis, he reached down and grabbed her arm. Seconds later she was shrieking.

"So, will you be nice and cooperate?" Yui replied sugary.

Glaring hatefully at Seiryuu no Miko, Empress Mei-Ling pointed to her senior advisor. "He knows…"

The senior advisor smiled wanly at Yui. "Seiryuu no Miko-sama, the Shinzahou which you seek is indeed in this palace. It is in a cavern under Seiryuu's Mausoleum. However, as it is late, we recommend that you make use of our guest quarters.

"Seiryuu no Miko-sama, Xing-Xia will show you to your room. The room you use before while coming to the aid of Kutou is as it was before you left."

After Xing-Xia led Yui away, another handmaid walked over and bowed. "Fei-lung-sama, shall I show Amiboshi-sama and Suboshi-sama to their quarters?"

Nodding, Fei-lung allowed for the young handmaid to lead the two young men down the hall. Shortly, arriving at the room, she opened the door. "We are happy to have Seiryuu Seishi back in the palace. Remember, if you need anything, we are happy to serve you."

She left quickly, leaving Jonathan and Shannon to stare at each other.

Growling, Shannon slammed the door. "Why the hell do I have to share a room with you?"

"I guess they figure we are…you know…" Jonathan replied softly, looking away.

Shannon smirked. "Oh, you'd like that wouldn't you?"

Scowling, Jonathan moved to and sat on the bed. "No… no! Get it out of your fucked up mind!"

"Then why are you blushing?" Shannon challenged.

"I AM NOT!" Jonathan insisted.

Leaning forward, as he stood directly in front of his brother, Shannon retorted. "You are so!"

Gazing up, Jonathan nodded. "Fine, so I am…"

Without giving his twin a chance to reply, he grabbed him by the shoulders and pushing him down, pinned him to the bed. Firmly on top of Shannon, Jonathan gazed intently into his brother's eyes. "I haven't given up on what we had before…" Leaning in, he whispered into his twin's ear, "I still feel the same…"

Swallowing, Shannon turned his eyes away, feeling uneasy at the moment. He didn't know how to respond to this, since he did feel what his twin evidently felt, but, he also had strong feelings for Yui as well…

'Damnit…where's a mind-altering broth when you need one?' he thought, cursing to himself.

He then turned his gaze over to meet Jonathan's.

"Well? I can sense it…or do you want to live in denial because the Catholic Church has told you that you must or you're going to hell because you've sinned? Let me tell you, dear brother, none of them are perfect; we are all sinners. I personally am a happy sinner…" Jonathan whispered, staring intently into Shannon's eyes.

"It's…it's not that…it's just…" Shannon replied not having an easy time formatting a reply that best conveyed his feelings to his brother.

Neither had noticed, but the door had been pushed open after several knocks.

"Shannon? The handmaids said you were here…are…" the female voice, obviously belonging to Yui silenced, as she approached them.

Jonathan darted a gaze over to her.

Knowing full well what Jonathan was going to say, Shannon pushed his brother off him, cast him a dirty look and turned to Yui. "Hey, sorry, we didn't hear you knock… Mainly because Jonathan was too busy being an asshole. I can't believe they're making us share a room."

"Oh, I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" Yui asked, really unsure.

"Very good, you figured it out." Jonathan replied coolly.

Shannon very quickly cut between his brother and Yui. He turned and faced her. "Don't mind him, he's being stupid because he lost this round…" he smiled nervously. "What did you want?"

"It's a private matter. I want to talk to you alone." She said, taking him by the wrist.

The other wrist was instantaneously grabbed by Jonathan who cast a challenging glare at Yui. "Whatever you can say in front of him, you can say in front of both of us."

"No, really, it's a private thing… Normally I'd agree with you, Jonathan, but not this time." Yui replied, pulling demandingly on Shannon's wrist.

"I don't trust him alone with you…" Jonathan pulled his twin back toward him.

"Then why didn't you say anything before?" Yui challenging, gazing closely at him.

"You weren't close to him, but now that you are, I've got to look out for him… I don't want you to hurt him again." Jonathan replied simply, giving her a callous gaze.

"Me?" Yui exclaimed indignantly. "You're the one who abandoned him!"

Shannon sighed, suddenly finding himself alas caught in the middle of a tug-of-war, and he was the prize. He didn't like this one bit. Pulling out of the grasp of both, he stormed for the exit, throwing back over his shoulder. "You both fucked me over before!"

With that, he slammed the door behind him.

Jonathan and Yui glared with utmost contempt at the other and scathingly proclaimed, "this is all you're fault!"


	14. Chapter 14

Throw Away Yourself

**Throw Away Yourself**

_So keep the way you're feeling out of this  
And hide it all until the day you die  
The secret's safe at least you thought it was  
But you can only keep it for a little while_

Oooh, and now you're terrified  
Why the hell don't you throw yourself away  
You know they're gonna burn it down  
Wash my, hands of this  
You notice how God ain't even helping you out  
Wash my, hands of this  
You notice how God ain't even helping you

(_Throw Away Yourself_, The Long Road, Nickelback)

If there was one thing he hated more than expressing his feelings, even to those close to him, it was being caught between two people vying for his attention, especially when he loved them equally and on the same level. He didn't want to pick between either of them because he knew one of the two would be deeply hurt by his choice.

Deciding against saying anything, he fled from the problem, finding himself in a small but exquisitely gorgeous grotto at the end of the imperial garden at the palace. He smiled softly to himself as he entered. This brought back some of his better memories; memories from the days between when he and his brother were reunited here at the palace and then subsequently separated.

Crawling into the oddly warm cave that hid under a lush bush of thick deep green ivy, he carefully placed the curtain of ivy back as it had been before he came along. He then looked in. He sighed softly, hearing the gentle sound of a waterfall that sat at the other end, deep into the under ground.

His ear perked up, and he jumped, watching something whiz by under his feet, exactly where he had been standing. Turning quickly, reacting quickly, he, Shannon, pulled out his Glock and loaded it. "Who's there?"

"What the hell kind of fucking language do you speak?" the voice responded in ancient Chinese, specifically an older version of Mandarin.

Shannon blinked. This was the oddest version of Mandarin he had ever heard. He then attempted to reply using contemporary Mandarin. "The same applies for you!" He then smirked. "I can speak your crappy language, can't you speak mine? English is common enough…"

"In-ga-ri-sh?" The voice replied hesitantly. "Uh…En-gri-ish? OH! Yui-sama spoke this Engrish of which you speak!"

"Wait… If you know that Yui speaks English, then you're… Why the fuck did you attack me you bloody fucktard! Do you want to kill both of us?"

"Well, I'm already dead and I don't give a flying rat's ass about you! And you will address her as Yui-sama, you scum of the earth!"

Shannon's eye twitch. "Oh god, how the hell did I ever survive before? You are such a dumb little brat!"

"You, yeah, well, how would you have survived if you're foolish enough to step into the Seiryuu Shrine?"

"Are you being obstinate or are you just really stupid, Suboshi?" Shannon growled, walking over. "I'm you, and god knows why the hell I'm your reincarnation if you're such a fucking whiney-ass snivelling brat."

"What the hell…" Suboshi replied, staring in shock, as he lowered his ryuuseisui. "How the hell am I alive if I'm still dead?"

"It's called reincarnation, dumbass!"

"Who are you calling a dumbass, asshole?"

"Shunkaku! Stop it!"

Shannon turned, turning a lovely shade of sheet white. "Amiboshi…"

"Aniki!!" Suboshi immediately turned around and tackle-glomped his brother.

"Shunkaku, this is not the time…" Amiboshi replied softly, getting up from underneath his twin. He then turned to the intruder and arched an eyebrow. Instinctively he took out his flute, his eyes were narrow. "Who are you, and why the hell do you look like us?"

"Damn, you guys are so stupid. Well, I can't say that I blame you. Seiryuu is really a two-bit god who doesn't have time to inform you that you were reincarnated." Shannon nonchalantly remarked, then smirked over at Suboshi. "By the way, Yui is mine."

"WHAT?? You son of a bitch!"

Before he could move, Amiboshi had grabbed a hold of him and glared at the newcomer. "Don't say stuff like that. I'm not responsible if he tears you to shreds."

Shannon continued to smirk smugly. He blinked and the ryuuseisui materialised in front of him. "So, what was that, you were saying Amiboshi?"

"_Ma...masaka_!" Amiboshi whispered, just staring in shock, as Suboshi blinked and then looked at his own ryuuseisui, then back up, then down at his own…

"So, I can't kill him and he can't kill me, I guess that makes it a stalemate. Too bad you weren't living because you wouldn't stand a chance against this." Shannon explained, producing his gun. He twirled it around his finger and then shot the wall behind the two ghosts.

The two screamed and dove to the ground, for they had never been exposed to such things before and the sound was explosive.

The two then stood up, eyeing Shannon fearfully. Suboshi huddled against Amiboshi, as Amiboshi addressed Shannon. "What… What is that thing?" he asked, his voice quivering. Sure, he and his brother were dead, but still…

"It's a .45 semi-automatic Glock." Shannon replied, placing it back in his shoulder holster.

Amiboshi blinked dumbly. "A what?"

"It's a gun."

"What is a gun?"

"This thing!" Shannon replied, taking it out and holding it up.

"What is that thing?" Suboshi asked, gazing warily at the gun, which Shannon held.

"It's a gun."

"What's a gun?"

Shannon sighed – a long exasperated sigh. These two were so dense it wasn't funny.

Suboshi blinked then his eyes lit up. "I remember that now! Some strange men dressed identically in Yui-sama's world had those! I remember hearing it go off!"

"Well, you were stupid enough to piss of Tokyo police." Shannon pointed out ever-so helpfully, as he smirked.

"To-key-o?" Amiboshi arched an eyebrow as Suboshi shrugged. "Do you remember if that was the place, Shunkaku?"

"Uh… Yui-sama never did tell me. Plus, I couldn't read the signs; they were written in some weird-ass foreign language."

"Notwithstanding that, what do you want anyway?" Amiboshi asked, turning back to face Shannon.

"I didn't want anything until except solace. Although, now that you do mention it, I do need the Shinzahou."

"NO!!" Suboshi exclaimed, a feral growl escaping him as he glared at Shannon. "I will not give it up to anyone, especially to the likes of you!"

"I'm not asking, I'm telling, and no matter what 'wards' you'll put up, I'll get around them." Shannon replied nonchalantly.

"You will die before you ever get your hands on it!"

"And if Yui asked?"

"Of course I'd give it to her!"

"And if I was with her?"

"I'd give it to her but not you."

"No wonder you got killed, you're an obstinate little twat."

"OBSTINATE TWAT??" Suboshi growled most indignantly. He drew his weapon. "I'll show you obstinate twat, you self-righteous pompous asshole!"

Shannon snickered. "Yeah, you and what army?"

Suboshi sputtered indignantly then exclaimed. "Shut up! Just shut-up!"

"Why because I'm right and you're wrong?"

Amiboshi groaned. He knew damn well what was going to happen…

"That does it! It's your turn to die now!" Suboshi growled scathing, as he took out his weapon.

'I knew it!' Amiboshi thought, sighing. There was no point in stopping it.

He arched an eyebrow, as he watched Shannon. The guy didn't seem to be the slightest disturbed that his psychotic brother was going go tear him to pieces. In fact, what did surprise him was that after Shannon dodged the weapon, he grabbed Suboshi from behind.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Amiboshi exclaimed in a whisper. "We're dead, how can you possibly grab him?"

Shannon, who had side stepped Suboshi's primary attack then grabbed him, looked up, now surprised as well. He shrugged and grabbed Suboshi into a head lock. "So, like I said you and what army, boy?"

"How the hell… LET ME GO YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!!" Suboshi struggled against Shannon, surprised he was even being held as he was dead and Shannon was alive.

"No, I'll do it when I'm good and ready." Shannon replied coolly, as he kept a tight grip on Suboshi, ensuring he couldn't escape from the headlock.

Amiboshi glared at the pair, but then pulled back, looking away. 'What is that?' he thought, as he furrowed his brow questioningly as he looked away, upward. He then turned and sharply declared.

"Shunkaku and Shunkaku's reincarnation, stop it! Be alert! There is an intruder, maybe two…" Amiboshi declared, as he got out his flute in preparation. "The chi feels familiar but I can't place it because it's not close to the one it matches."

Shannon let Suboshi and briefly scrutinised the area with his chi, feeling for the other one. "You're right. I think it belongs to Nakago, but it's very weak, and it's not being concealed. In fact, I don't think that it's entirely Nakago. It's most likely his reincarnation… I believe its Jakob Nylund, one of the leaders of the Gates to Hell cult."

Suboshi remained silent, but had his ryuuseisui out.

Shannon stepped forward, walking ahead of the two. He then gazed back over his shoulder. "Stay and guard the Shinzahou. I'll go and 'greet' them. There is more than one person. The second one has a faint chi. It's a chi I've never felt before."

"Are you sure?" Amiboshi asked, eyeing Shannon carefully. "Are you sure you should go? I'm the strongest one here."

Shannon blinked wordlessly and uncloaked his chi.

The twins stared in shock. No one ever had a chi that powerful; not even Tomo, not even Nakago. Of all the Seishi, the only one they knew had a chi of such strength was Miboshi. The chi was overwhelmingly powerful.

Quickly cloaking his chi, Shannon took out his gun and cocked it. "Let's see how they like the taste of lead…"

Suboshi's eyes widened gleefully. "Can I come? I wanna see it in action!"

"Down boy!" Amiboshi growled, grabbing his brother by the collar. Pulling him back, Amiboshi scathingly added, "you are not following him, Shunkaku! I do not need you to get into any more trouble!"

"How can I be in more trouble that I've already been in?!" Suboshi demanded, pulling out of his twin's grasp and floating after Shannon, who seemed to know where he was going.

"So…what does that actually do when it hits someone?" Suboshi asked, eyeing the gun lustfully. It was after all a weapon, and he had an uncanny fascination with many forms of arsenal. He wanted to hold it, but knew damn well he couldn't because he was good as dead. Heck, he was dead.

Shannon smirked, and used the gun as a pointer as he described the consequences. Needless to say, his tone was too chipper for someone explaining gruesome results. "It makes them bleed, a lot. It has even better results when you plug the bullet through their head! Not only do they bleed, but puss and other fluids, and brain chunks fly out of the skull."

While listening to this description, it would seem that Suboshi was nearly salivating at this. This was his destiny! To go to Yui-sama's world and to use one of these weapons to kill the likes of Tamahome. That would have been so gratifying given that the result of using a "gun" was on par with Shannon's description.

"Can I please use the gun?" Suboshi asked, giving a puppy-eyed look to Shannon.

Arching an eyebrow, Shannon sceptically regarded Suboshi. "But you're dead; you won't be able to handle the weapon."

Suboshi pouted. "But I wanna use the pretty gun!"

The two exited into the shrine. Upon coming into the Mausoleum, they stopped, hearing a pair of voices.

"Ya'll sure we's allowed in 'ere, hun? 'Cause this don't seem cool n' stuff." A female voice drawled, accented in what was obviously a southern accent, specifically an accent local to the Baton Rogue area in Louisiana, making it quite clear she was from the heart of the bayou in Cajun country.

"I'm quite sure, Priestess. I am after all, one of them." Softer voice replied. It was a male voice. This voice was accented with a thick accent, indicating that the speaker was most likely from Northern Europe; Norway to be exact.

The American girl, Kate McMaster, who had earlier been in contact with Jonathan turned back to her companion, after gazing around apprehensively at the vicinity; at the corners of the Mausoleum and asked; more like stated, "This still ain't right… Ya'll sure we's gonna git our hides in deep doggie dodo, 'cause there's lotsa wards up n' ya'know."

A soft, deep chuckle came from her tall blond companion. "Surely you jest. Haven't you confidence in me, Priestess? The wards put up by the Guardians of the Shinzahou certainly aren't affecting you like it did with the Priestess of Suzaku."

"That still ain't th'point, ya'll git it?" Kate replied, staring back at her male companion. "'Cause ya'know, Jakob, them guardians could be ya'll friends n' such; or even ya, 'cause we ain't got knowin' 'bout whatzup here n' all."

He gazed coolly at her. 'She's vulnerable right now, but yet, she seems too sure of herself. I fear that she will break out of this soon and she won't be as easy to control. Without her symbol showing, she is just another stupid American girl with all looks and no brains. Once her symbol returns, she becomes Chiriko and she sounds far more intelligent and is impossible to issue any mind control over.' Jakob reasoned, as he walked further into the shrine.

It seemed too eerily quiet in this place; especially given he hadn't yet perfected the art of chi control. He wasn't back to his full potential. He knew that if there was another Seishi here, he would be at the short end.

'But, I only have to worry about Yui, and her three agents, Tereshkova, Bartecelli and Anderson. Tereshkova only has physical strength. Bartecellli might be a problem if he is here. He is strong, maybe even more so now. Anderson is harmless. He only has CIA training. His spell is easily circumvented by my chi.'

There was one person that the cult and Jakob Nylund hadn't counted on and it was the fourth agent, Shannon O'Kelly, who was able to conceal his chi so well that he blended in with the rest of the world; he was a professional at evasion and as an assassin was apt at stealth, for obvious reasons.

Jakob fell back as a bullet grazed his shoulder; narrowly missing doing any further damage.

As he fell, he heard Kate scream.

He looked over as she fell to her knees, succumbing to a ward.

He struggled back to his feet and looked around frantically. He could feel a foreign chi emerging. It was no ordinary chi; it was the most powerful one he had ever felt. It was even stronger than Miboshi's ever was.

"Who are you? Show yourself!"

"Very well then. How's this?" Shannon asked, smirked, as he emerged from the depths shadows. He turned to Jakob. "What's your business here?"

"It's ya... Jakob... It's... Agent Anderson..." Kate gasped out, fighting against the wards. Her efforts however, were futile.

"Hn… Agent Anderson, so at last we meet. I must admit, disposing of you and your little friends has been an interesting task." Jakob remarked coolly.

"Nylund, I hate to be the one to tell you this but…" Shannon took out his badge. "But I'm not Agent Jonathan Anderson. I'm in fact the unknown member of the group of guardians that are protecting Yui. I'm Agent Shannon O'Kelly, former IRA assassin. I'm also the one who put up these wards."

"The wards… That's…that's impossible!" Jakob exclaimed, starting incredulously at him. "If Agent Anderson is Amiboshi, it means you're Suboshi, but that doesn't work because you were never strong; you were the weakest!"

He didn't want to admit that he too was fighting against the wards. It would give his opponent too much gratification.

"Now I'm stronger and I'm your worst nightmare." Shannon declared, his eyes blazing.

Kate only got a chance to look up briefly before the wards were strengthened.

She shrieked, as she felt the chi bear down on her. She felt like it would tear her in half. 'Why can't I fight it…' she cried softly, her muscled tightening up, her body trembling from the force of the chi. 'Why isn't Jakob fighting it?'

"What's the matter, does it hurt? It should. God doesn't help little fucking Protestant sinners! Don't you see, God won't help you out…why don't you just give up?" Shannon scathing remarked, as he walked over, still pointing the gun at Jakob. He nudged Kate in the stomach with his foot. "Get up… How pathetic. I feel your terror. You don't ever want to give such gratification to your enemy. Stupid girl…"

He turned back to Jakob, and smirked. Oh how nasty his expression was. "What's the matter, why can't you move? Have I got the upper hand here? Oh, how sweet this is!" He pressed the gun to Jakob's head. "Have you made your peace with God, sinner?"

"I am not the sinner. I'm not the one pointing a gun at an innocent man's head." Jakob replied icily.

"Oh, then, shall we list your sins, or would you rather have St. Peter give you the record of your sins when you stand before the pearly gates before you are cast down into the unforgiving purgatorial fires of hell?" Shannon growled, pressing the barrel of his gun against Jakob's temple, as he ignored Kate.

"Why me…" Kate whispered, the tears pouring down her face. She continued to breathe hard, as she watched the unfolding scene before her. Sighing, she closed her eyes; she was ready to surrender to this ward. She knew she couldn't fight it. It would be impossible…

Her tongue moistened her lips.

She felt a warmth on her foot; and something sparked to life in her. A harsh whistle escaped her.

Jakob cried out. The combination of the whistle and the wards downed him.

Shannon let go of his enemy and felt his wards loosen. He turned, shocked, as he looked over at the girl.

Kate slowly stood up on shaky legs. On her foot – she wore sandals – glowed the red kanji of "stretch". "The wards… They are easy to fight with the right weapons." She said, staring Shannon in the eye. "They are easier to fight than mind control. Thank you."


	15. Chapter 15

Where Do I Hide

**Where Do I Hide?**

_Got a criminal record  
I can't cross state lines  
First on the bad list  
And you're last on mine  
Lookin' for a scapegoat  
Long past due  
Walking down the aisle  
Staring straight at you_

(_Where Do I Hide?_ Silver Side Up, Nickelback)

Shuddering under the wards impose by Agent O'Kelly, Kate McMaster shivered, feeling like she was being torn to pieces. She felt like her internal organs were being crushed and the air was being sucked out of her lungs. The only thing she could do was cry, as she was weakened by the strength of the force holding her back.

Then, as she pursed her lips, she couldn't stop it. Something had sparked to life in her. She could hear the horrendous sounds coming from a flute. She knew what it was; it was the sound of that Seiryuu Seishi's music. She remembered the gentle whistle she had produced with her leaf to counter it. So, without realising it, she produced the same sound.

That sound however, in this case had produced another effect entirely. It pulled the wards off her, and freed from the chi that had been suppressing her. She felt the character on her foot flare to life, as she felt herself return to normal. When she spoke, she felt tears of gratitude course her face. She no longer sounded like her brother, who was born and bred in the bayou.

"The wards… They are easy to fight with the right weapons." She said, staring Shannon in the eye. "They are easier to fight than mind control. Thank you."

She moved to towards him, collapsing against him. "Please, don't let Jakob take me back with him. That group is horrible! They're going to destroy the world!" she cried.

Shannon stared down in shock at her. He didn't quite know what to think.

Getting, Jakob carefully observed what was unfolding before him. He knew he had to be cautious. This agent was no ordinary reincarnation; he was a much stronger one and more dangerous. He took it to mean that he couldn't underestimate Agent O'Kelly or there would be costly consequences.

Moving against the wall, Jakob repositioned silently, hoping to get one last strike in before he left. It was obvious Kate had been removed from the spell with aid from the wards. This made his life a whole lot more difficult because he had been appointed to be her "guardian". It was easier when she didn't have the same powers as Chiriko; that Seishi had a powerful mind, but when the character was missing, the intelligence went to, which made controlling her a whole lot simpler.

A characteristic smirk caressed his lips. He raised a hand. He knew that with Shannon distracted briefly with a distraught Kate, the gun wouldn't be so useful.

He then cast a shot of chi.

As he did, Shannon had moved away from Kate, which left her directly in the line of fire.

She stared horrified at the chi hurling towards her.

She screamed, raising her hands, blocking it from view.

'I'm going to die!' she thought sobbing.

But it never hit her. Instead, it was blocked. Suboshi stood between her and the blast of chi. She didn't understand how, but she didn't question the why. She was eternally thankful that, her once-sworn enemy was defending her from a person who she had thought wasn't such a bad person. She had been so naïve to have ever thought such things.

Jakob growled scathingly. He didn't like being thwarted, especially by the likes of someone like Suboshi; a weak little boy whose only two foremost uses were being a decoy for his plans and being a cheap death.

He prepared to shoot a second round of chi. He knew damn well he wasn't strong enough to summon the chi blasts he once was capable of materialising, but he also knew it was foolish to give your enemy an opening, or any chance to attack. An enemy who was still standing was a dangerous one. The best enemy was a dead one.

The chi flashed on his hand briefly before he choked and coughed up blood. He spat it out, realising he was garrotted on his own blood. He groaned, the pain of the bullet in his chest setting in as he coughed up red fluid. His free hand came up to block where he had been shot.

He turned his head, catching sight of the fading smoke that emitted from the barrel of Agent O'Kelly's handgun. He had two choices; stand his ground and fight and risk death, or haul ass like a bat out of hell and live to fight this adversary of his when he was stronger.

"You won this round, but it's not over!" Jakob declared angrily before he vanished into thin air. He used the link between the two worlds to return to the world of the Priestesses.

He landed on the ground in front of his boss.

The man looked up, his eyes blazing scornfully. His lip curled in disgust, as he pushed back strands of deep brown hair.

"You fool! How dare you show yourself without the girl and least of which, without the Shinzahou!" the man hatefully spat. "I ought to kill you for this blundering incompetence of yours. But, that bitch of yours places too much value on your pathetic existence, and she is key to the cult, so, for that, I will let you live."

'Michiko…' Jakob thought morosely; his heart ached for her. As he struggled to breathe, his hand covering his wound, though the effort was futile because blood continued to seep through his fingers.

"Get out of my sight now before I change my mind!"

"Yes Lord Manley." Jakob replied weakly. He tried to climb to his feet, but instead fell back to the ground, only to hear Michiko call out his name, as she ran over to him. She acted quickly and raised him to his feet, shooting an icy glance over at the boss, Eugene Manley.

She then escorted him out of the room, throwing back hatefully over her shoulder. "If you were a decent human being, you'd have called for help!"

"Stupid girl, I don't have patience for weakness." Eugene replied smoothly, his cat-like eyes glowing nastily. "Though I do have patience for those who do their job right. However, he has failed us and lost Kate, I don't see why we must continue to hold on board. He is nothing but an impediment. He is too weak for our cause."

Eugene paused, seeming to ponder for a moment. He then added, "We need new blood, someone who is much stronger than this; someone who can easily break the bonds of the wards and unite the worlds. No one has a chi that strong though, so until then, we must make do with what we have. So, if that means keeping him with us, then so be it. But, remember, this ragtag Seishi is only here because you believe so strongly in him. It is your job to raise and strengthen his chi, or the next time he fucks up, his head is going on a pike!"

Michiko snorted derisively and left the room, supporting Jakob. She could feel and see that he had been visibly weakened by battle. By whom, she couldn't tell. But, the how was obvious – a gun wound. Whoever he had fought had been from this world. But who would have been in the other world that would have been willing to fight him and for what reason?

'After I know he's ok, I'm going in. No one hurts him and lives to tell of it!' she thought to herself, as she helped Jakob to the cult in-house infirmary.

After she left him in the hands of a nurse, Michiko wandered back out into the hall. Resting against the wall, she sighed, hateful thoughts swimming through her head about Eugene, and the person who did this to her beloved.

Her train of thought was broken by a voice.

"Heya Micchie. Whatcha waitin' fer?"

She looked up, casting an icy glare at her colleague. She really didn't like the redhead, especially since he was a hickish American, who smelt and sounded like he just stepped out of a Louisianan bayou. For all she cared, he had crud between his toes and a stick of straw hanging lazily out of his mouth, as he spoke with a laidback drawl.

"Ya'll, Ah asked ya a question, ya'll ya'know." The redhead drawled, stepping in front of Michiko. "Ya'know, ita wouldn't kill ya ta answa me, ya'll know, huh!"

"Go fuck yourself, Terry." Michiko growled scathingly.

"It'd be betta if ya did, ya'll know." Terry smirked, leaning in.

Michiko glared icily at him. Wrapping her arms around herself, she stepped away. "I don't sleep with fucking parasites! Go fuck your cousin, you inbred hick!"

"Now, that ain't no way for no lady ta talk, ya'll hear me now?" Terry replied. He knew he was hot for her, even though she flat out refused him in favour of the weaker reincarnation, Jakob – that damn Viking with a bad mullet.

"The way you talk is no way for anyone to speak!" Michiko spat hatefully. She despised the redheaded American and that little brain-dead sister of his. The pair of siblings were a couple of religious whack jobs.

Then, without giving him a chance to retort, she stormed off.

"Damn bitch…" he muttered under his breath.

"Lost again, eh."

"Ah shut yer feed hole 'fore I tear ya a new arse!"

The young man smirked. "Why because you hate hearing about how you lost? I bet you don't get shot down when you make a play for cousins Bobby-Sue and Anna-Joe, eh? Why would you, there is a shortage of people in the bayou, so inbreeding is perfectly normal, though the result isn't normal, as you've proven time and again."

Grabbing his tessen, Terry growled at the man.

"Whoa now, no need to be violent; after all, you don't have your shooting iron. You must've left it on the gun rack in your rusty seventies Ford pick-up." He quipped, smirking nastily. It was so easy to get a rise out of this kid.

"Watch it or I'll go Confederate on yer Canuck arse, Skywalker!"

"Your gun will be no match for my light sabre." Luke Campbell replied, smirking. "I'd put you in your place, but I don't want to make you go crying home to mama."

Terry snorted derisively. "Yer jus' blowin' out yer arse; yer nothin' but Manley's li'l lapdog, ain't ya, doggie-breathe? Ya was Nakago's lapdog, now yer jus' Miboshi's; same gotdang thing…ain't it, Ashitare?!"

Luke bristled indignantly.

Terry smirked. "The truth hurt, don't it?"

"Not as much as…"

"Stop it the both of you. Just because you hate each other is no reason to take it out on each other. At least for now… We still have to find Kate and take care of the enemy." Eugene purred scathingly. His eyes glinted dangerously. "And take 'care' of Nylund without Yamato finding out the truth."

They turned to face him. Acknowledging him, Terry and Luke backed down from killing each other. They knew better than to piss Eugene off. Usually that meant certain death.

Shannon had left Kate in the hands of the palace healer. Yui joined up and took the job of protecting Kate. She knew the girl from school. They had become friends until Kate had started acting very weird as of late. Yui had distanced herself until she could understand why Kate had been acting like that.

Now she understood – Kate, the smartest girl in their class, of course besides herself (herself being Yui), had been controlled by some person with ulterior motives, seeking to harm the girl.

Yui had only seen Shannon briefly as he brought Kate to the room next to hers and instructed Yui to stay with her while he went and did something. Of course, he didn't tell her. But, that wasn't any different than usual since he almost never told her anything, least of all his feelings as of late.

Caressing her classmate's face, Yui pushed strands of reddish-brown hair from Kate's face. 'Why did they pick you? You're the most harmless person I know. They should have picked on someone else."

She blinked. She could have sworn she heard a voice. She listened carefully and again she heard. Now, only this time it was clearer.

"Terry… You asshole… I told you to stay away from them. But, you never listened to me. You were too captivated by that charismatic twat."

"Kate…" Yui whispered. What could the girl possibly know? Deciding to probe further into this, Yui replied with the question, "who is this charismatic person? And what can you tell me about them?"

"Eugene Campbell, the founder of the Gates to Hell movement. They are working for Nyosei-seikun, the fifth god and the god that is only matched in threat to that of Lord Tenkou, or should I say goddess. She was sealed away by her brothers ... But now, Tenkou has freed her and in exchange for him doing so, she must seal away all her brothers, destroy their portals and free him as the final stage.

"Lady Nyosei is vengeful and will stop at nothing. They needed a Priestess to summon her. I was nearby and walking home from school when I was summoned to her land. I told that I was the one destined to save her country. I refused to help her. Then I felt her wrath. She wouldn't let me go. Instead, the man, only rivalled in power by Eugene, alias Miboshi, took in the Seishi disenfranchised with this world and told then that there was a chance to restore the greatness that we once had. They bought and swore themselves in as the Seishi of Nyosei.

"They lost their original characters and they were replaced by the gold markings of Nyosei. She is the embodiment of fertility and life. That was until she found the dark side.

"That is most of the reason why I turned her down. I didn't want to work for Tenkou. Nor did I want to endorse any evil. I didn't want to go to hell for worshipping a false god, for I would have sinned if I had done what they wanted me to." Kate whispered, her eyes half-opened as she looked over in Yui's direction.

She reached out taking Yui's hand. "Senpai, help me please… Help me stop them! I don't want to summon the dark forces of evil! I'll go to hell for surely if I do. Plus, I never wanted to work for Tenkou. I don't want to sell my soul to the dark side. Nor do I want this world to be destroyed."

"Kate, this is exactly why I'm here. I was summoned here by Seiryuu who gave me instructions to seek out the four Shinzahou, and to seek out the four in our world."

"There are only two left there now." Kate replied quietly. "They got the first two; the one belonging to Genbu and the one belonging to Byakko. They acquired them after attacking the shrine in Morioka that is mentioned in the Shijin Tenchisho as the reunion sight for Byakko no Miko and Tatara.

"If you can get the other two, it'll create a stalemate on our world."

"But what about here?"

"Without me, they can't get here. If Seiryuu is still standing and I'm not there to guide them here, they can't get here. Nyosei isn't strong enough without the power of the Shinzahou to overcome the wards of Seiryuu. She could fight Suzaku. She did fight Suzaku.

"During that fight, Byakko and Genbu got distracted with trying to ward her off and wound up falling victim to the cult who used our world's Shinzahou to destroy the gates that Genbu and Byakko hold. They also destroyed everything but the core of the gods themselves." Kate explained, as she sat up.

"The only reason Seiryuu is still standing is because it is impossible to get his Shinzahou that he planted in out world. In order to get it, they need to kill Suboshi. That is a feat only the gods themselves could do…if they could. They cult doesn't even know that he exists. All they know is that he is holder of the Shinzahou.

"The Suzaku Shinzahou is likely in Tamahome, who you know as Taka. But, I heard popular theory that it isn't and that I may be the holder of it, which may be while they kept be alive instead of just killing me to take it."

Yui really didn't know what to say. How did one respond to such things?

"Ooooo…so there's a bounty on my head, eh?" '

"Damnit…" Yui muttered. She hated it when Shannon used that one of voice. It usually meant something or someone was about to experience a horrible and excruciating painful death at the hands of the master assassin. "How much have you heard?"

"Everything..." Shannon purred a look of fiery malice in his eye. He licked his lips. His lips were twisted into something of a cruel smirk. "Enough to warrant their deaths. Oh, this is going to be so much fun! They don't even know I exist."

"You're Suboshi?" Kate replied peering closely at him.

"That, or if you will, Agent Shannon O'Kelly of the IRA…"

"Yeah…yeah… Master Assassin… Yes, we've heard it all before." Yui replied, waving it off.

Kate studied him for a moment. She then looked at Yui. "You know, for a cult that knew everything about its enemy, we knew nothing about him, not even his name. Even Eugene didn't count on him. He counted on Tomo, Agent Bartecelli, and even Amiboshi, Agent Anderson, as well as Nuriko, Agent Tereshkova. But, no one even knew that he existed."

Shannon cackled and it sounded not only very unnatural, but extremely creepy. After all, when Marius issued his characteristic, it was normal for one to shudder, but, there was no predefined reaction to Shannon's overtly evil cackle, which scared the crap out of Yui.

With a horrified look in her eyes, she pleaded. "PLEASE!! Shannon, never do that again!"

"Why? Did my impression of Tomo scare you?" he purred, as he kissed her neck, or at least tried to, but in the process got pushed away.

He blinked, looking hurt.

Leaning in, she whispered. "I need to talk to you… Meet me at the grotto."

Shannon scowled at her. "How do you know about that place? No one in the palace ever knew about it! Only Jonathan and I knew about it!" he hissed.

"I found it after I noticed two people heading in that direction… I followed but I got lost until I heard music being played." Yui explained. "I couldn't get closer, since there was something in my way, but when I went back later, I could see why it was blocked…"

Shannon nodded, but before he replied, Kate spoke up again.

"Agent, you know the ring on your necklace?" she remarked, pointing to it.

He touched it. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Protect it. It's the key to one of the four Shinzahou that are in our world."

"What? What do you mean?" Yui exclaimed shock.

"Seiryuu and Suzaku crafted rings that when in the same room will resonate and the Shinzahou will manifest, so long as the two parties possessing the items are in their full capacity."

"But what of Byakko and Genbu?"

"They merely recreated the objects, which is why it was easy for the cult to capture them. It can't get those of Suzaku and Seiryuu because the objects are within two people, and if I'm not mistaken, they are in the person who was closest to the Miko. In your case Yui, it'd be Suboshi, or rather Shannon. For Miaka-san, it would be her Tamahome."

"How the hell do you know all this?" Shannon growled.

Kate smirked. "I'm Chiriko; I'm the walking database of invaluable knowledge."

"All right then smarty pants, why does Yui have the same ring?"

"That way only she can use the Shinzahou to summon Seiryuu. The same goes for Miaka-san."

"Great, so now I'm going to get killed because some two-bit fly-by-night god has decided to place his stupid Shinzahou in me!" Shannon whined.

Kate arched an eyebrow. Turning to Yui she whispered, "Where'd you find him anyway?"

Yui offered an evasive shrug.

Shannon then twitched. Or, well, at least his left arm did. Undoing the button on his sleeve he pushed it up. His brother had sent him a message, and had obviously written it in pen because the letters were too small to have been done with a human finger nail.

_Shun-chan, get your ass out to the grotto. We need to speak. Don't bring that chick! I know you like her, but I need to see you alone. She'll muck everything up if she comes along. –Kou_

'Aw fuck!' was Shannon's first thought as he read it. Yui also wanted to talk to him there. Why was he caught in the middle? Why couldn't they both just leave him alone to wallow in his own misery, like he preferred to do.

He stood up. "Yui…?"

"Yes?" she replied looking up at in his direction.

"I'll meet you at the grotto in an hour. I have something I need to do before then."

She nodded. "That's fine. I'll be there then! I do think we need to…talk…" she said, placing specific emphasis on the word talk. As she did, she also winked.

'Damn…' Shannon thought as he noticed the facial expression. 'Now I'm really caught in the middle. How do I keep them from both getting hurt, and why the hell does it have to be me who's caught in the middle…' he thought woefully.

Promptly excusing himself in order to find out what it was his brother wanted, Shannon turned left upon exiting the room and made a beeline for the grotto. He hadn't noticed that Yui slipped out of the room after him, even though she had gone in the opposite direction than he had.

Taking a couple of secret passages he remembered about, he arrived at the predetermined location before Jonathan did.

Sighing, Shannon sat on the ground, brushing his hand over it. He blinked as he brushed aside some dirt. He arched an eyebrow, wondering what it could possibly be.

Then he remembered. It was something he and his brother had written just before his brother had been forced to leave for Konan.

Shannon exhaled, feeling wistful. That brought back both good and sad memories. 'I can still remember the day that we wrote that. It was a day when we decided that nothing would destroy what remained of our family. But, again the country that we loved and would help save betrayed us when my brother was forced to serve as Chiriko…'

Clearing away the rest of the dirt, Shannon examined the message closely. He remembered the circumstances surrounding it; he just didn't remember the context though.

"Let it be known that twin brothers, Bu Koutoku and Shunkaku have been reunited despite the civil war. Their bond has made them inseparable for all eternity. They will not let anything come between them. Come hell or high water, they will remain forever brothers…." Shannon read out loud, his tone quiet.

"Yeah, I remember the day we wrote that too. You had a right hand in that. Actually, you wrote the last sentence."

Shannon looked up, as Jonathan scooted over toward him. He didn't move away.

"So, what do you want, Jonathan?" Shannon asked, gazing over at his brother.

Jonathan leaned in closely and smirked. "That should be obvious. But, you are the King of the Dense, so I'll tell you…" he pushed his brother onto his back and straddled his stomach. "You, brother dearest... I thought it was obvious by now…"

Shannon groaned. "We've been through this before… I like Yui and…"

"I thought you decided you were going to give up on her since she didn't like you and had rejected you…" Jonathan hissed. "Besides, you know as well as I do, we feel the same way. You just need some encouragement…"

Shannon pushed his hands against his brother's chest. "No, I do NOT need any encouragement, Jonathan. Damnit, you're such a hentai! Get off me!"

Jonathan pouted, hurt. "Aw, c'mon, Shan, why are you being like this?" he nuzzled his twin. "When you could instead be naked under me…" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"All right! That does it! Get the fuck off me!" Shannon growled, as he pushed his brother away aggressively, only to find Jonathan back on him, only this time undoing his shirt.

"I like it when you are obstinate… It's more exciting when you resist…" Jonathan purred, as he quickly divested his twin of the shirt he wore.

Shannon knew the struggle was futile when his brother was horny, but he resisted anyway. "I don't care if it is! I'm not in the mood for it…"

Purring silkily, Jonathan caressed his twin's chest and stomach, his hand slipping under his twin's pant line. "You just need to be in the mood, and I can help. You know you like it, and you can't deny it, can you?" he whispered, nibbling on Shannon's ear.

Stifling a groan, Shannon knew he was a goner. His brother had always been good at this. He knew that from a recent experience as well. They had been alone before they had been pulled back into this world. Jonathan was three sheets to the wind, and Shannon, well, he was not sobre, but he could still think. Of course, he was thinking with his penis, so, there was no real thinking involved.

'I shouldn't give in, but, damnit, he's good, he's always been this good!' Shannon lamented, as he moaned softly, giving in to his brother's seductive enticements.

Closing his eyes, he sighed then opened them again. He smirked. "You like it rough, eh, perhaps then I can make it rough. Little Kou wants to play with his big brother, that can be arranged." He purred, twisting around and pinning Jonathan underneath him. "Two can play that game, little brother…"

Jonathan was surprised to find himself on his back and quickly stripped of all but his boxers. His brother was a quick worker, perhaps a little too quick. It took most of the fun out of the pursuit.

Sullenly gazing up, Jonathan pouted. "You're too fast to get rid of my clothing. Why can't you be more purposeful and graceful? Foreplay is fun…"

"I don't do foreplay, brother dear, I do rough. I like it rough and I know damn well you do too, and you can't lie to me!" Shannon hissed, discarding his pants.

Turning his eyes back to his brother, Jonathan smirked. "Fine, I do like it rough. I just also like a little foreplay is all… So, what are you waiting for brother, give it to me and hard!"

"Well, tough shit! I don't do foreplay. You're not a girl, so there is no point to foreplay…" Shannon purred, though he knew that he was going to tease his brother anyway with a little foreplay. He was doing it now, even as he denied it.

He reached down. Grabbing his twin's balls in his hand, he smirked. "So, you like it rough?" he smirked, as he gently squeezed them, enough to erect a shuddering moan of pleasure from his brother.

Releasing the balls, his took his twin's erect cock in hand. "You like foreplay, don't you? You can't get enough of it…" he purred, his hand working the head of his twin's cock, gently sending electric pulses through the nerves that graced the tip.

Jonathan moaned. Writhing under his twin, he shuddered an intoxicated whine, as he reached up, groping for his brother. He thrust up. He hated not being able to reply in words. His mind had gone blank. His cognitive process failed him.

Cackling to himself in glee, Shannon tightening his grip then released it quickly. He repeated this several times. He wasn't going to give his twin release. He was going to build this up and leave his brother hanging.

Jonathan's lip quivered. He tried to protest and tell his brother to give him release. He was drowning in pleasure. But, he felt a release; it was so close yet so far.

Feeling his twin nearing the edge, Shannon intensified his ministrations and pulled at the last minute, and Jonathan mewed plaintively.

Mounting his brother, he peered down, his eyes filled with wild, untamed fire. Growling, he fiercely kissed Jonathan. Then in a single swift move, thrust his cock into his twin's body, and his body, sans the brain function, which ceased upon sexual penetration, found the right gear for rhythm.

Jonathan grabbed onto Shannon, his short, but still sharp nails eating into his twin's flesh, drawing blood, as he squirmed in ecstasy under his 'master'. He groaned, and thrust upward. He wanted to speak, but he couldn't.

He wrapped his legs around Shannon's waist, and held him close.

Breathing hard, sweat gathering in the form of sticky moisture between their bodies, the twins hit the right note, as their bodies joined in the right gear of rhythm.

At precisely the same moment, they hit the climatic peak of ecstasy; a moment when the mind is drowning in the intoxicating depths of pure nothingness except for a myriad of raw electrifying euphoric pleasure.

Lying on his twin, his cognitive functions returning, Shannon blinked. He didn't know what to feel. He had returned to the emotions he remembered best; into the embrace of the one who never rejected him. He always had felt right here. But, now there was a third party, and she made her yearning clear: she wanted him.

'Or does she? What does she want?' Shannon thought, as he pushing himself up, and gazed down his brother, who practically lay in a pool of sweat. 'I don't know what I feel any more… I love him, but she… Oh God, what do I do?'

Reaching up, Jonathan stroked his twin's cheek. He then smacked his brother in the chest. "Not enough foreplay!" he whined, gazing with large sullen eyes at his brother.

His eyes narrowed. Growling, Shannon got off his brother. "You're such an incorrigible hentai! And no, you didn't need any foreplay?"

Purring, Jonathan draped himself over Shannon. Nibbling his brother's ear, he hissed, "and why not? You're good at it. If you're good, I'll return the favour the next time. You know you like it. Why are you objecting…?"

Before Shannon replied, he cell phone rang. "Damnit!"

"You don't need that…" Jonathan replied, and reached for it and threw it, so it hit a nearby wall and broke into a thousand pieces (of course it didn't help that he assisted the damage factor by letting out a shrill whistle. "Now, that's better…"

"You're such a hentai! Get off me!" Shannon growled and pushed Jonathan away, and pulled his boxers and pants back on.

Jonathan pouted. "Aw you're no fun…" he sprawling himself across the ground in nothing less than an erotic position.

Not amused, Shannon dropped the other pair of pants and boxers on Jonathan and began to pull his own shirt on.

He then darted his gaze in the direction opposite to them. "Damnit, someone's coming…" he knew damn well who it was. He didn't think she could have been coming so soon."

"They won't find this place…" Jonathan purred, as he wrapped his arms around Shannon from behind and pulled him in, very close. "Isn't this sexily, delicious?" he trailed his tongue along the jugular vein in his brother's throat.

"Fuck off; this is not the place or the time!"

"It certainly is a fine place…" Jonathan retorted as he groped his brother.

Swiftly elbowing Jonathan in the chest, Shannon reached down and picked up his shirt and placed it on.

Pouting, Jonathan draped himself over Shannon, at precisely the same moment Yui walked in.

Jonathan was conveniently ignoring this.

Shannon felt the same sinking feeling in his gut that he had felt early. 'Aw, shit, not again!'

"Shannon, what's wrong with Jonathan? Why can't he stand up on his own, and I thought I said I needed to speak to you alone?" Yui's words were laced with malice, as she directed the majority of her words at Jonathan, who she viewed as an unwelcome visitor.

Jonathan smirked and looked up. ""What's the matter, Yui; walk around at the wrong time? I'm sorry if I'm here right now, but I was here first. You're merely the third wheel. Besides, whatever you can say in front of Shun, you can say in front of me."

'Shun?' Yui thought. She then remembered something she had seen just before she had encountered the pair. 'Shunkaku, could that have been his real name? Hearing this makes me realise that there is so little I know about him…'

"What's the matter, can't speak? Overwhelmed by the incredible male specimens you see before you?" Jonathan added snidely, as he flexed his muscles.

"You're such a meathead, hentai, and I told you to stay the fuck off me!" Shannon pushed Jonathan away. He turned back to Yui. "Sorry, but he can stay. Just ignore him… So, what did you need to talk to me about?"

Sitting on the ground, Yui sighed, as she played with the grass. "Shannon, there is so little I know about you, but, yet…" she closed her eyes. "I… I… I love you, Shannon."

Now he had a problem.

"You do?"

"Yes, Shannon, I've tried to tell you this! But you never listen to me! I love you and I want you!"

Shannon blinked dumbly. "I… I…" He the swallowed. 'I don't know what the fuck to think! I feel for her, as well as…that dork…' he added in his thoughts as he made the mistake of taking a glance in Jonathan's direction.

Throwing her arms around him, Yui held him close. "I love you… I'm sorry if I was never entirely clear about it. You've always been there for me… I never knew how I felt, but now I know…"

Jonathan was sending a very nasty glare Yui's way. He smirked and maliciously remarked, "So, I guess you're prepared for the fact that you have competition."

Yui looked up. "_Anou_?"

"I don't give up easily, and I won't roll over for you."

Yui could only stare at him aghast.


	16. Chapter 16

Not Leavin' Yet

**Not Leavin' Yet**

_Come lie next to me Jesus Christ  
Holes in hand where a cross used to fit just right  
The meeting called, the topic: a ladies fate  
You don't have to remind me  
I won't be late_

(_Not Leaving Yet_, The State, Nickelback)

"You got our orders, right?" a deep voice said, taking out a nail file. It wasn't made of conventional cardboard, covered in sandpaper. It was made with a metal alloy. The metal briefly caught the light as he whipped it out of his pocket and twirled it in his fingers.

He took it and carefully filed his nails, little shavings of nail raining on the ground.

"No shit, I got 'em orders, dog." His colleague snapped, immediately brandishing what looked to be a tessen. The clean stainless steel metal glistened in the dimly lit, overhead, softly buzzing amber-coloured street light.

The one holding the nail file emitted a low but feral growl. "I told you before, you fucking inbred hick, don't call me that and I won't tear you a new ass. Got it or, do I need to make my point…clear…" he turned his hand upward, the sharpness of his carefully manicured nails obvious.

"Whatcha gonna do? Impale me n' kill me like ya kill Nuriko?"

"You know, maybe I should… That would certainly solve a lot of problems. It would certainly benefit the world more if I killed you instead of killing Jakob like Eugene ordered."

The red-head's eyes narrowed. "Bring it on!" Terry McMaster growled, as he fanned out his tessen. He prepared to fan his "ally" with the flames of war.

The taller of the two, Luke Campbell, sighed. He really didn't like this guy. But, he wasn't going to let some little bible-thumping inbred redneck push him around, especially one as puny as Terry. He clenched his fists in tight balls at his side. He didn't even flinch at the presence of that tessen. He had heard the stories about this fan, and doubted that Terry could really handle himself, let alone this awe-inspiring tessen. Of course, being a solid wall of brute strength might have something to do with Luke's thick-headed obstinacy and cockiness.

The two stopped immediately when they felt another chi enter the arena. They smirked. They both recognised that chi right away. It belonged to none other than Jakob – the one they were to dispose of right away as per Eugene's orders.

Luke walked over casually and placed an arm around Jakob's shoulders and grinned. It was no ordinary grin. It was nothing short of gleefully psychotic.

"Jakob…my good friend." He remarked in a strange warm yet icy tone.

The blond arched an eyebrow at the tall lumbering youth. "Why did you call me out here? I haven't time for your ignorance or your shenanigans! I have business I need to get done that doesn't involve a dumb fuck who can fetch and roll over. Nor does it involve an inbred bible-thumping self-righteous hypocrite."

"I ain't inbred! Fuck, people, it's getting' ol'! I ain't inbred, nor am I any hick!" Terry growled. He really resented when people picked on him because he was from the southern United States of America.

"You just hate hearing the truth, don't you?" Jakob retorted coldly. "Well, that's just tough shit because this is a cruel world we live in… Not everyone is going to accept you. The rest of the world doesn't have the same precious 'liberties' and 'freedoms' as you do…nor the same 'tolerance'…" he added dryly.

"It's nice someone sees this my way...however…" Luke brought his arm down and trailed his hand down Jakob's back. He stopped when he found the prime location he wanted. He pointed his nails against the spine of his so-called ally and drove his hand straight through Jakob's body, effectively breaking the man's spine and slicing through the man's internal organs. Luke's hand emerged through Jakob's front, blood dripping liberally from the sharp nails, glistening under the glow of the humming amber street light.

Gurgling, Jakob coughed up an obscene amount of blood. The remaining red fluid that left his mouth trickled out of the right corner. He moaned gutturally. His blue eyes were wide in shock, brilliant against his ghost white pallor. His entire body was numb. The only thing he could hear was the dull resonating thump….thump… of his heart beating against his chest as he strained to breath.

He didn't speak. He was in far too much shock to conjure a cohesive thought.

Laughing in a low gleeful voice, Luke withdrew his hand from Jakob's body. "Ah, that brings back such fond memories. The only thing better than that is, knowing that he can't break my neck like Nuriko did…" he held his hand up to his mouth, his tongue lashing out, lapping up the blood. He moaned in elation. The taste of the warm blood tickled his palate.

Grunting, Jakob fell to the ground. He lay still in a growing cesspool of his own body fluids that liberally leaked from the open gaping wound in his chest. He struggled to breath; it hurt. A searing burn passed through his chest with every ounce of air that came and left his torn lungs.

"Damnit, put th'asshole outta his fuckin' misery!" Terry growled scathing.

Luke smirked maliciously. "Now what fun would there be in that? I enjoy watching him writhe in pain. It's quite amusing to see him squirm. He once did this to me. Revenge is a dish best served cold…"

Terry snarled under his breath. "Yer one fuckin' sick bastard…" He didn't care that Jakob was suffering; it was just the principle of the matter. He just preferred to have a good clean kill, whether it was killing a deer or slaughtering a trespasser. Leaving something half dead was just not right – even if it was a little worthless twerp like Jakob,

Taking his tessen, he pointed the tip downward and drive it straight through Jakob's back just below the wound inflicted by the hand of Luke; this quickly ending the violent spasmodic convulsions that wracked the nearly dead and bloody form of Jakob.

Luke pouted. "Now what you go and do that for, eh? I was enjoying his anguish! It is only fair that I get to enjoy the fruits of my labour and long years of waiting. I had waited so long for revenge and you take it away from me. No, that isn't right…"

His eyes then narrowed and glinted with a hint of red. "That isn't right at all…" he repeated, his voice overcome by a feral snarl.

He turned a venomous gaze to Terry and growled again. This time it was more of an animalistic growl; it was rooted deep in his throat and resonated in his chest. "I do not like having my prey messed with. And since you interfered, you will now pay with your blood… The blood of a Suzaku Seishi… If I can't spill that of Nuriko, I shall spill yours…Tasuki!!"

He twitched and looked to the sky. He opened his mouth, his teeth shone against the white of the moon with subtle hints of the amber street light glistening off his teeth, now transforming into fangs.

He howled. This was no plaintive howl like his ones as Ashitare. This was one filled with blood lust. He could smell the blood pulsating through Terry's veins. The smell drove him out of his mind and filled him with an uncontrollable rage.

"Your blood is mine!" he screamed and with a final howl, much to the surprise of a now very terrified Terry. Luke instantaneously shed his clothes and took on the form of a wolf.

"No way…" Terry hissed under his breath. The last time he saw Luke in this form was as Ashitare. This transformation brought back a myriad of less than fond memories. He hadn't believed it before when they had said that the wolf was Ashitare, but he believed it more now than ever… The dead on appearance confirmed his unbelieving thoughts.

He lifted his arm as he backed away, preparing to protect himself from the fury that knows no bounds – the fury of animalist rage.

He had only his tessen. He could shoot the flames at the animal, but, unlike most animals, this one wouldn't be afraid of fire.

Deep in the eyes of the wolf danced the flames of hatred. Fire was something that burnt in the core of this animal's being, fuelling the flames of loathing and contempt.

'Nuriko may have been beaten by Ashitare…but I'll beat this monster!' Terry growled to himself as he fanned out the iron fan in his grip. "All right, ya wanna fight me? Then come n' git a taste of fire, wolfy!"

Snarling, his lips pulled back, his teeth barred, Luke, though more accurately Ashitare lunged forward. His was mouth open wide, his teeth bared and his claws protracted.

Terry dropped his tessen and barely had a chance to defend against the unprovoked vicious attacked by Luke, who was now in his wolf form. The last thing that flashed before Terry's eyes was Mount Koku, where his friend Nuriko had died. He wondered if this had been the same death of his friend there, or if it had been like that of Jacob's death.

Either way, it was one lousy way to end one's life.

'I'm sorry God. Please forgive my sins…' was Terry's final thought before he fell to the ground, a bloody mangled mess. His clothes were torn and his face and body horrible disfigured from the wrath and fury of the enraged animal.

Panting, Luke in his wolf form growled and sniffed the body. Satisfied Terry was adequately dead – meaning lying in a cesspool of drying, internal gut laden blood – Luke as a wolf stepped back and closed his eyes, slowly taking back on his human form.

Once a human again, though a very naked one, he disdainfully kicked the dead body of Terry. 'Serves you right, you fucking bastard!'

He thought he saw something lurking in the shadows, but quickly dismissed it as his imagination. He decided, however, not to take any chances on being discovered. Then again, even if he was at the scene, there was no way to prove that he had been the one who had done the killing. It had the marks of a deranged, furious animal.

"They'll never know the difference…" Luke muttered to himself, as he slipped into the shadows, sirens ominously roaring in the distant horizon.

"Whoever witnessed it will only be able to say they saw a wolf… They won't know that a human did it…" he smirked to himself as he did up his jacket.

"Though without having to even be a witness we will know who did it." A soft voice remarked snidely. "It's got the markings of Eugene's lapdog – since we know that Jakob is too incompetent to hold such an important role."

Turning, Luke growled. "Who the fuck are you?"

The second person smirked. "We're your worst nightmare, or at least I am…"

Luke bristled. "Just spare yourselves and come out!"

"Hmn, it looks like he insists on knowing the truth. Should we tell him, Tereshkova?"

"The truth might hurt him. His neck looks like it's in pain right now."

Luke was getting frustrated. They obviously knew who he was and had deliberately chosen to conceal their chi in order to annoy him with their asinine mind games. And it was working!

The two agents stepped out of the shadows.

Luke stepped back, hatred coursing through his veins. He hated the violet headed one – that man had been the one who had killed him in battle. The taller one with the soft voice had been a lackey of Nakago who had shown no regard for Ashitare.

He didn't know what the two wanted. He doubted that they warranted any trust.

Marius smirked. "Isn't this amusing, the cult members are killing each other. It makes our work a lot easier."

"It's also amusing that Ashitare is still willing to put his ass on the line like a good lapdog." Josef snidely quipped.

Luke snarled, his lip curling, his eyes narrowing. "Look here, gay boy, I am no one's lapdog! The last person that said that wound up becoming my chew toy! I will turn you into leftovers for the starving dogs if you don't stop the snide comments!"

"Amazingly educated for a dog." Josef added dryly. "This is certainly light years ahead of your threat to chew up all the Suzaku Seishi."

"I still plan to. I just also want to take down the Seiryuu with you losers." Luke explained coldly, gazing at the nails that put Marius's to shame. He darted his gaze up. "Frankly, I could care less about what they're doing and what you're doing to meddle in their affairs."

"Then why are you fighting with them?" Marius inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"I never said I was fighting with them. I only joined up to get my revenge bit by bit. I couldn't do it right away. I had to wait – I had to wait about three weeks for Jakob to screw up. I set that up. I knew he wasn't strong enough to defend Kate." Luke explained calmly. "So, I figured if he messed up, Eugene wouldn't stand for it and it would serve as a perfect excuse for me to kill him. The next problem was Terry. I just provoked him. When he started getting offensive, I used it to kill him… And I will find a way to bring each of them down before I move on to bigger and better things.

"I could care less about opening the portal between the two worlds. I could give less of a rat's ass about acquiring any power that may come of this. All that I care about is making their lives miserable. Every last one of them will feel the pain of my grasp."

"So, why aren't you trying to kill me then?" Josef demanded.

Luke smirked, his eyes twinkling with an unusual hint of evil. "Now, that would be too easy, would it? I can't quite justify it yet, though I will find a way."

A thought crossed Marius's mind and he decided to give it a try. If Luke indeed didn't care about the cause of the cult then maybe they could get some sort of information from the guy.

"You know; if you don't care about their cause, then, you don't have a reason to protect their secrets, do you?"

Luke shrugged.

"So, why don't you make things 'interesting' for them and makes them work to keep the Shinzahou."

Luke arched an eyebrow. "Oh, so you'd like to know where it is, eh?" he smugly grinned. "It's been under your nose the whole time."

"No vague answers!" Josef growled.

Luke ignored the violet haired Seishi. "The cult doesn't have it yet. They have just created the illusion that it does. It's very simple, go to Morioka and look for the graves of Byakko and Genbu no Miko. The clues are there. This is what Kate told me. I know nothing more."

"So, I guess I don't have a reason to kill you then…" Josef smirked coyly.

Luke glared at him. "Are you still talking?"

She had been tying her red school tie when she stopped, her eyes dead in shock.

'His chi… He was killed.'

She blinked and looked around, shuddering. 'Why do I care that he was killed? And what's this ominous feeling I have?' she wondered as she finished tying the tie and putting on her beige vest and emerald green school blazer. Smoothing it down, she moved to the window and looked out.

'The stars will be able to tell me.' She thought. The stars' movement had always been her way of knowing what was going to and had already happened.

Pushing her hair back, she gazed out, watching the stars. 'The pattern of the stars… They are moving in a fashion that means more of the Seishi will be killed. The stars for Tasuki and Nakago have dimmed. They are not as bright. The stars of their allies aren't resonating their usual pulse.'

Her eyes narrowed. 'And the star of Ashitare has moved in another position. Why? What's happening? Why are the stars suddenly moving sporadically? Something is wrong, very wrong. Though… I don't know what. All I know is that the traditional bonds of the alliances will be shaken.'

"Oi, Tetsuya, put the scroll down! Listen to this!" Keisuke called, as he sat forward on the chesterfield. He used the remote to turn up the volume as the newsroom anchor transferred control over to the reporter on site.

Coming from the desk where he left the scroll, Tetsuya dropped on the chesterfield next to Keisuke. "Anou?"

"Two guys were murdered and the Tokyo police haven't a clue. They are trying to get two agents who arrived on the scene earlier to talk." Keisuke explained over the thundering volume of the television.

"…we now go live to the scene, where Takanawa is waiting with the report of the brutal murder of two men."

"Thank you, Mikage." The on-sight reporter replied. She pushed her hair back and began. "Just minutes ago, police arrived on the scene only to find the bodies of two men brutally assaulted. There were no witnesses, though police suspect that two international agents who were here before the police arrived know something.

"So far, the Tokyo police aren't saying what the cause of death is, other than it appears me to be dual homicide. There is speculation that this might've been an animal attack that had human involvement."

She turned to the police officer next to her. "What can you tell us about what happened here?"

"Well, we really can't say, though we suspect it might've been an animal that did the attack, like you already said. We do believe that there were no weapons involved due to the nature of the wounds. Aside from that, we don't have anything else yet. We are asking the people of Tokyo that if they have any tips that would help us solve this to come forward.

"We are trying to get information out of a pair of international agents who are still on the scene. They obviously know something about who did it."

"You don't think that they did as part of some assignment?"

"Initial testing has shown that the DNA sample doesn't belong to them. We also found traces of animal hair on the body of the man we have managed to identify as Terry McMaster. The other man is Jakob Nylund. We have found DNA on him that matches that of the animal hair. So, we have our work cut out for us…"

The reporter, while the police sergeant was talking had been looking over his shoulder. "Sir, the two agents seem to know something. They are snickering behind your back and making a mockery of the system."

Calling the two agents over, the police sergeant asked them to tell the reporter if they knew anything.

The names of the two flashed on the screen in Katakana.

Josef smirked and spoke first. "Why we know anything? That would be too easy, wouldn't it? Plus, whatever we know must jeopardize our assignment."

Marius nodded. "Though we can confirm one thing, it was an animal that killed McMaster. The animal that killed McMaster also killed Nylund. The person you're looking for is a shape-shifter."

"He has three forms. His human form, his in-between form and then his wolf form." Josef added.

"This seems like some far fetched fantasy." The reporter countered.

"Then why did you ask for our testimony if you're going to dismiss it as fantasy?" Marius bit out scathingly, though his tone was coolly level. He turned his back on the reporter. "Let's go, Tereshkova, these people are a waste of our breath and time. Let them deal with more of these killings later."

Following Marius, Josef smirked back at the reporter and the police sergeant.

Tetsuya and Keisuke who had been watching the report were staring in shock. Keisuke muted the news report. "That can only mean one thing – Ashitare is the one behind these murders and he's stronger than before."

Tetsuya nodded. He remembered reading about the death and shape-shifting of Ashitare. "It could be. And if the police ignore Tereshkova and Bartecelli, they will have more Ashitare-related murders on their hands!"

Keisuke sat back closing his eyes. "But why Ashitare? I thought he was one of them? Why would he kill his allies? There is something strange going on here…"

"Yes there is! I can't find the Shinzahou!" Miaka wailed; she came into the room just as Keisuke made his last statement.

She was followed by Taka.

Taking the scroll from the desk, she sat on the chesterfield next to her brother. Sighing, she began to pick up from where she had left off before. She groaned and scowled. "They still haven't got the Shinzahou from Kutou yet?"

Keisuke nodded. "Yui and Jonathan are too busy fighting over Shannon, who is making a game of trying to avoid them. Nothing is being done. It's just like when she was there the first time. They waited for everything to be done then they came in and took what they wanted with no work."

"So, I did the work and Yui-chan got the credit…" Miaka replied bitterly.

Tetsuya gazed up. "Have you made any progress?"

"Nothing! I haven't found anything yet! The only two I will be able to find are those of Seiryuu and Suzaku."

Keisuke pointed at a part in the scroll. "You won't have to look far. One is in Taka and the other is in Shannon. According to Kate, it was a way of safeguarding two of the four."

"And the other two?"

"You know as well as I do…"

Miaka then placed the scroll on the table. She stood up. "I love Yui-chan like a sister, but I am tired of waiting for her to stop playing games!"

She turned to Taka. "You're coming with me!"

"Eh?"

Miaka grabbed his hand and focused. Within a minute, a red light engulfed them and they vanished.

Keisuke groaned. Miaka really enjoyed making his hair grey! He turned to Tetsuya. "For sale, one hyper sister, heck, I'm giving her away for free! Take her! I can't take much more of her antics. She's going to drive me to an early grave! If Okaasan ever found out about this, she'd hit the roof!"

"Yeah, she would." Tetsuya remarked. "What is it and your sister and running into a danger zone?"

"I don't know! She's always been a magnet for trouble. I guess that's why she needs Yui…"

Tetsuya's eyes glinted indignantly. "So, just your sister needs Yui?"

Sighing, Keisuke placed a hand on his head. "Tetsuya, not again… We know that it's Shannon's fault that it all started."

Tetsuya growled, "Yes! Everything was fine before he reared his damned face in the whole mess! If he hadn't decided to serve the table Yui was sitting at… She wouldn't have got some strange warped idea that I was some monster!"

"Well, you're just as bad as me when you're three sheets to the wind." Keisuke pointed out, in a less than kind manner.

"But I never hurt her!"

"But, you are the jealous type! But, it was had been one bad night. I remember, I had been with you. You almost drink if you're with her and if you do, it's one or two."

Tetsuya snorted. "He's not going to be satisfied until he's hurt her! That's the only reason he deliberately acted like a 'hero'. He created the whole problem because he's still a little petty boy!"

"You're both petty…" Keisuke retorted, smirking.

"That's not funny! He's going to hurt her! Miaka didn't help matters! She stuck by Yui and demonized me because I had a couple of mistakes! And, you, you Keisuke, didn't help me at all!"

Keisuke heaved a sigh. "I tried, but Miaka is stubborn. She wouldn't listen to me, and Taka won't. He's a best friend of Shannon's…"

"Maybe if he had his memories, then he'd see the fact that Shannon is the real asshole here and I'm just a jerk who happened to make a few errors in judgement!" Tetsuya spat.

Keisuke stared at the scroll for a minute, reading as it relayed information about Miaka arriving safely in Kutou without being apprehended right away.

He turned his attention back to Tetsuya. "Why are you so convinced that Shannon's going to hurt Yui?"

"She hurt him. He doesn't seem like the type to forgive and forget. He is a little wise-ass punk who knows that he can get away with whatever he wants and he has a key ally on his side, Taka because Taka doesn't know jack from shit!" Tetsuya angrily replied. "Further, Shannon has Yui exactly where he wants her, in a vulnerable position, having confessed time and time again how she feels about him – something she never did before. No, she treated him very coldly and he obviously resents it and will try and do the same thing."

Keisuke just stared at Tetsuya like he was from another planet. "Yes, you are still jealous of Shannon…"

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!!"

"Then why do you keep saying that he will be the one who will hurt her? He hasn't hurt her and if Yui was being hurt, you know she'd turn on him. You saw how she turned on Miaka because she was convinced Miaka had hurt and betrayed her…"

"Because…if you read the scroll, every time she confronts him about how he feels about her, he twists her words around and makes her look like a bitch for even bringing it up."

"That's because he still doesn't trust her, even though he still loves her." A third party voice remarked snidely.

Keisuke and Tetsuya both jumped. They turned to face Josef and Marius who had just let themselves in.

"Is this how the Japanese welcome their guests? Quite rude for such a police culture." Marius remarked, taking a seat on the chesterfield.

"What do you want?" Tetsuya asked, sitting back down.

Josef took it in hand. "The scroll. We're going to Morioka on a hint and we're bringing this in case we need to get in touch with Agents Depressed-as-Hell and Let's-Blow-up-The-Block."

"Morioka? Why?" Keisuke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Campbell gave us a lead there. Two of the four Shinzahou that Miaka is seeking are there. They are likely connected to the graves of Byakko and Genbu no Miko."

"Tetsuya, we're going! Toki can help us!" Keisuke declared. "We're coming!"

The two agents regarded him sceptically.

Keisuke looked over at them. "We previously ventured to Morioka in relation to Tenchisho… and Toki is the one who was able to help us. He is the monk in charge of overlooking the graveyard up in the old section around Genbu's Grotto."

Marius nodded. "And has Miaka made any progress? She hasn't spoken to us in a while…"

Tetsuya snorted. "About a much as Yui – NIL!" he held up the scroll. "Then again, the twins are useless. All they do is fight."

Josef shrugged. "Yes, they do fight. I remember that part very well. They're both stubborn. They fight because Shannon didn't trust Jonathan at the time. They probably fight now…"

"Because there is a third party, and that third party is Yui. She was always a third party. If nothing had happened to Amiboshi back then, she would have never been a third party in that match up, and would have been left being another member of the Seiryuu four-way love triangle." Marius quipped, smirking.

"Then he should give her up!" Tetsuya retorted, irritated.

Marius cackled softly. "That would seem easy, wouldn't it? But, Shannon doesn't do things the easy way. He's emotionally incompetent and doesn't know how to deal with her and their past. So, he stumbles instead. That's the only ways he knows." His eyes glinted. "Any interference will be hindering the process."

"There is no process. He's an asshole, and he's going to hurt her! Also, they are all together being useless! If I was with her, I'd protect her and we'd have been out of there by now!"

"Why are you arguing with this intellectual lightweight?" Josef remarked snidely in Russian.

"I'm not, I'm just showing him the errors of his puny obstinate ways. Besides, even if O'Kelly is a complete tool and a real asshole, you know you don't get in his way unless you've got a death wish. You let him do what he wants. He always gets his way."

Jonathan sat behind his twin, glaring over his twin's shoulder at Yui. His lips twisted into a malicious smirked. "So, I guess you're prepared for the fact that you have competition."

Yui looked up. "_Anou_?"

"I don't give up easily, and I won't roll over for you."

Staring at him, she fell back. She looked between him and Shannon before her gaze fell back on Shannon. She regarded him closely. "What's going on? Why is Jonathan acting so strange? Shannon… I need an answer!"

His mouth went dry. He knew Jonathan was insanely possessive. He had always been. It was just that he hadn't been around when Yui was, so there was never this problem in the first place, but now that she was and it was clear that she had her sights set on what Jonathan consider his, Shannon knew he was caught in a rough patch.

He stood up, moving away from both. He turned his back to them. "Jonathan, you've got to stop this. You're making this hard on me…and Yui… I don't know… I know what I think I feel, but…I really don't know and I kind of… I… This is too confusing…"

He sighed, then blinked. "What the fuck…"

"That light! The light of Suzaku!" Yui gasped out, running over to Shannon.

As the light faded, two figures emerged.

"YUI-CHAN!!"

Yui stared. "Miaka…"

"Yui-chan!" Miaka ran over. She smiled. "We thought you could use some help…plus…" she blushed. "We made no progress on getting the objects there. And since you guys seemed to be getting nowhere and there are the objects here, I decided to volunteer us!"

Yui smiled wanly. "Thanks, Miaka." She winked. "Now you'll be good for something other than copying my notes because you fall asleep in class."

"Yui-chan!!" Miaka whined.

Meanwhile, Taka stood back, merely looking around, only to look to his right when Shannon came over.

"Yo…"

"Good, now that you're here, you can fix this problem for me…"

Taka arched an eyebrow. "What problem?"

"I was content watching from a distance and then you brought me into the picture. You're going to resolve this. I can't tell Yui how I feel. It's too hard and every time I try, I fall flat on my face. I need you to do me a favour and make me look like an asshole."

Taka gave Shannon a pointed glare. "Shannon, you are an asshole and you do a fine job of it without my help."

Shannon went to growl at nasty retort at Taka but instead sighed. "Touché…"

"Why do you want to anyway? I thought you loved her?" Taka inquired. They were a decent distance away, though clearing within glaring distance of Jonathan who was sending daggers at Yui's back as she spoke to Miaka; at times, even mimicking her.

Shannon shrugged. "I do, it's just that… I don't know, I clamp up around her. I think I trust her…but, then…I don't know. She could hurt me again…"

Taka smirked. "So, need a little push in the right direction?"

Shannon freaked out at that. "No, no, no! Not literally! And not with Jonathan here! He's being insanely possessive!"

"Oh and like you're not, Shunkaku?" Jonathan remarked, draping himself ever-so casually over his brother.

Glaring at him, Shannon replied, "get off me, you horny bastard!"

"…" Taka blinked blankly at the twins. "Ok, this is not my problem! It's between you two… If I had my memories, I might be able to help, but right now, this is getting too weird."

Jonathan nibbled his brother's ear. "C'mon, you know she's a third party and she was here after me… Ménage a trios…if you really can't live without her, even though I'm content without…"

"I said…get off me, you fucking horny bastard!" Shannon growled, elbowing Jonathan in the chest.

Taka nodded sagely. "I see the problem… You need to get rid of one of the two. I suggest ditching Jonathan. He's too much of a moron. Besides, Yui's hot for you. She only dated Tetsuya as a substitution for who she really want – you."

Jonathan glared at Taka. "You are so not nice!"

"Thanks, Taka." Shannon sighed. "I'm going elsewhere, I need to think…" He said, casting a glance over at Jonathan, adding, "ALONE!"

"Aw, can't I come?"

"Take Miaka and Yui to the shrine, and have fun! The guardians are amusing!" Shannon quipped as he walked away, Jonathan behind him, mimicking him.

Taka rolled his eyes, watching Shannon leave. 'How can they possibly be related? His brother is such a moronic dork.'


	17. Chapter 17

I Don't Have

**I Don't Have**

_I don't have anything  
I don't need the space to breathe  
I don't hide in sanctity  
I don't need what you need  
I don't have I don't have  
I don't have I don't have  
I don't have anything  
I don't need the space to breathe  
I don't hide in sanctity  
I don't need what you need_

(_I Don't Have_, Curb, Nickelback)

Standing alone, feeling like a moron, Taka, Sukanami Taka, looked first in the direction of Jonathan, Yui and his fiancé and soon to be wife, Miaka. He then glanced in the other direction at the retreating back of his friend and trusted colleague, Shannon. He again looked in one direction then the other, deciding whether he would stand around here; he didn't think that was a good idea. He had a feeling that this was the kind of place that strangers weren't really welcome in.

He opted to follow and talk to Shannon. The guy was hopeless and needed help. He felt that if he went with the other group, he would somehow get caught in a mess he wanted nothing to do with, even though if he spoke with Shannon, he'd get caught in Shannon's web of confusion and deceit.

Shrugging, Taka jogged after his friend. "Hey, wait up! I know you said you wanted to be alone, but, you've done that too much lately, and I don't need you to do anything stupid." He remarked, with a friendly smile as he fell into stride next to Shannon.

Turning, Shannon nodded. "Sure, why not. You don't know any better, anyway, without your memories and all…"

Taka glared at him. "Well, instead of making light of that fact, why don't you be a pal and help me then? Miaka is skimpy on the details; Keisuke and Tetsuya are telling me nothing. I know that they are holding back something important, and you obviously know since you've responded to about three different names…"

"Actually, I answer to about five or six different names, but that's beside the point." Shannon shrugged nonchalantly.

Taka wordlessly glared at Shannon. He should have been used to this by now – but there was just no getting to use to Shannon.

There was also no reasoning with Shannon, the guy was obstinate and didn't budge; it was his way or the highway.

Deciding it was time to make Shannon speak about how he felt about Yui, Taka decided to play off what Shannon had said. "So, you answer to several names… What does Yui usually call you?"

Gesticulating, Shannon replied, "She usually calls me Shannon, though she'll slip and call me Suboshi."

"So, did he mean to Yui as Tamahome did to Miaka?"

Shannon snorted derisively. "Yeah right; she hated my guts!"

"And what about now?" Taka probed. This was getting interesting. At least he was getting a response or two instead of zilch like he normally got.

"I don't know! She's fucking with my mind! She says she loves me and I don't know! She's making my life complicated! I hate dealing worth emotions – they are a waste of time and a human weakness we can do without." Shannon spat resentfully.

'Ah, now we're getting to the root of the problem. It's not Yui's inability to communicate how she feels, but Shannon's unwillingness to put any thought into any form of human emotion other than cynical resentment about the whole human race…' Taka reasoned, as he listened to Shannon's rant.

He leaned against a tree. 'A sweet smelling tree…' He thought it seemed familiar but shook it off and replied, "No, Yui isn't. She's being straightforward with you. It's you who is causing all this. You're ignoring the truth here – you can't handle human emotions, and so you're running from it instead of trying to understand. You are…emotionally impaired."

"I am not emotionally impaired! She's just fucking with my mind!"

"Oh really? Then how do you feel about her?"

"I… I…damnit, I don't know! This isn't my area of speciality! Give me a guy to slaughter and I can draw and quarter him before you even finish sealing the contract… But, do NOT ask me how I feel about her!"

"So, you're not a man, are you? You can't cope with your own emotions…" Taka remarked snidely, knowing he was about to take his life into his own hands.

Shannon offered a short cold laugh. "Tease me all you want; say anything you want, but, I don't care. I'm better off this way. My emotions led me to death's door step before.

"Now I understand what Nakago meant when he said fools are guided by their emotions. For once, he had been right."

Wandering ahead, he stretched back. "I know, I'm running away from it, but, it's easier. I don't want to hurt her… Ah, that's a lie, isn't it? We both know the truth; I don't want her to hurt me. It's pathetic, isn't it? I'm the strongest physically of all us reincarnations, yet I can't face a girl. It's just sad…

"Go ahead and laugh. Go ahead and say what you're thinking, but, I'm not changing my mind. It's better this way. I'm hoping that my silence will make her hate me so I'm not tormented with this…"

Taka narrowed his eyes, as he stared resentfully at Shannon's back. How could this be the same guy he had been friends with for the last four years? They guy was so much different; cowardly if you will. He used to look up to him as an example of a strong person with an unwavering will, but now his confidence was shattered.

"That's bullshit and you know it Shannon!"

While his angry words spewed forth, he was noticing a strange pulse in his blood. He had never felt this kind of powerful sensation before, and yet it felt oddly comforting, and he decided to ignore it for now and attack Shannon for being so weak.

Shannon smirked daringly at him. "Like I said, say what you want. I know I'm pathetic. I really am. I've been told I'm an android, but, I like it, it suits me. No emotion required to function, just raw skill and ability; nothing more nothing less. The pure freedom to simply exist without the worry of being brought down because of the weakness of human emotion."

Taka's eyes went wide and he snarled at Shannon. "What kind of crap is that? You know that you feel something, and yet you're denying it! Miaka told me time and time again that the power of love allowed her and me to be reunited, even though I know nothing of my past! You, who does have his past within him, shunned the one who seeks you as Miaka sought me."

He stepped in Shannon's direction, his body gently radiating a red aura.

"You can't stand there and tell me you feel nothing? I've seen the way you look at her, your eyes are filled with pain and yet you are saying nothing, and you say you feel nothing. It is impossible to be without emotion."

Pausing for a moment, Shannon then pensively added, his eyes dark, "I do feel emotion. I do feel one – hatred. That is one thing I don't doubt. I hate the world I was born into, I hate everything about it. This is one big sin fest; we were put onto earth as a cruel joke. We are nothing more than pawns in God's little game called life."

At that moment, while he spoke, his voice laced with bitter cynicism, it dawned on Shannon that the presence he felt was being radiated from Taka. He furrowed his brown in deep thought. 'Am I causing this to happening, a sort of awakening? I've never seen him like this. Perhaps I could fuel a little more.

'I mean, I do feel more, but, there is no need for him to know that right now. I do feel for Yui, though, I can't express myself, but, I can leave it aside…' his eyes flashed deviously.

"The blood of man is so easily spilt. The blood that flows in our bodies are from tears of Eve; when she cried in pain after being thrown from Eden, her tears turned to blood. The blood she shed from her eyes became the life fluid that went into Cane and Abel as God's way of punishing Eve's sins in the garden. Thus, paving the way for humanity's violent history…

"Blood has always meant hatred. The blood that flows through your veins is God's way of punishing our ancestor's sins. The blood is a way of marking us for life. If we bleed to death, we can drain the mark of sin from us.

"Blood is also a cleanser, when it drips from you…" Shannon took out a pen knife and slit his left wrist, "it cleanses your body of sins…. Of every last sin you ever committed. It pulses deep within your body, fostering the one true raw human emotion, hatred."

He licked the blood from the knife. "Human life is worthless if it can be easily cut off with the toss of a Ryuuseisui…"

Gracefully balancing on his weapon, Shannon stared down at Taka, who was radiating more of a presence and smirked maliciously. "You don't like the truth, do you? Why don't you spill my blood, since you never seem to be able to before? This time I welcome it. It'll be a nice change to living…"

"DAMN YOU, SUBOSHI!"

Shannon blinked and barely had time to jump out of the way as a large turbo-charged ball of red chi came hurling his way out of literally nowhere. He dove the ground, dodging the force of the blast. He turned his eyes to the right, catching a glimpse of Taka, who stood there in shock, his body still radiating a strong presence, the character of ogre glowing strongly.

'Holy crap that was one hell of awakening…' Shannon thought, as he rolled out of the way and got to his feet. He lowered his Ryuuseisui, not wanting to fight Taka. He didn't want to ruin their friendship by doing something stupid.

"You still haven't changed, have you? You're just as bad as ever. You have no respect for human life." Taka growled, walking over to Shannon.

Shannon smirked. "I do, I just am selective about it, and you know what, you are still easily provoked. You bought it, hook line and sinker. You believed every word I said – so, Nakago was right again, you were easily excitable."

He knew what he was doing. He knew he was deliberately provoking Taka. He knew what was coming.

He snidely added, "so, why don't you attack me, then, you had no problems with kicking my pass before, why are you holding back? Either way, I'm not countering. The past is the past, the present is the present. You can do what you want."

Taka stopped….just inches from Shannon's face, his clenched fist just mere second away from breaking his friend's nose. But, he didn't go through with it. The calm exterior served him a good dish of reason.

He lowered his hand, the red aura around him fading. However, the character of ogre stayed ignited. He stared at Shannon for a minute, his nose twitching as he gazed over his shoulder at the three.

'A sweet smelling tree… It's almost midnight. I once promised Miaka to meet her there. I didn't, but it was midnight when we were reunited…. Maybe we could meet under it…' he mused before hr turned to Shannon.

With his memories in return, even though they were a jumbled mess in his head, at least he was able to understand.

"You're right… The past is the past." Taka said quietly. He sighed, his eyes closed. "But, if it is, then why are you resisting any feelings you have for Yui? If what is done is done, then why won't you open your heart to her?

"Think back – remember the day when I forced you to serve that table? She wanted you to. She wanted a chance to talk to you. I remember the look in her eyes…"

_Flash Back_

Standing at the table, Taka held his pad, trying to appear professional, but he was really flirting with his fiancé, Miaka. She in turn was giggling and flirting back while Yui sat next to her friend, being disgusted out of her mind by the rampant sappiness.

Her wandering eyes tried to find something for her to focus on.

She arched an eyebrow. "Hey, sorry to break up the sap fest, but, Taka, who's that guy?"

Glancing back over his shoulder, he smiled at Yui, "That's O'Kelly Shannon. He's worked here for about a few years. He's not in any of my classes. He just showed up one day and spoke to the manager who gave him a job for some reason. The guy is nice enough, but, very cold and distant. We've been friends since he started here. He is difficult to talk to sometimes. He is fluent in Japanese, but if irritated, he'll speak in a language you've never heard of."

Musing, Yui nodded, her eyes fixated on him. She sighed softly. 'Suboshi…'

She smiled sweetly at Taka. "I've seen him here a couple of times before… He did catch my interest… Could you perhaps see to him serving our table? Hey, you can always flirt with Miaka later…"

Miaka smirked, seeing the far-away look in Yui's eyes. "So, you did like him, didn't you? Ah! Yui-chan that's so cute!" she squealed.

Giggling, Yui blushed slightly and continued to watch in his direction. '" wonder… How much will have changed. Will he still remember me…or, more importantly, will he feel the same way that I do?" her eyes clouded over morosely.

"Uh…" Taka looked to Miaka for an answer.

"He's like you. He was from the same place."

He nodded, understanding – even though he really didn't.

_End Flashback_

'This royally sucks! Why do I have to escort them to the stupid shrine? There are going to be fucking wards and I'll have to make sure neither of them gets killed… I hate this. This is so NOT fair. When I joined the CIA, this was NOT in my job description!' Jonathan thought bitterly.

He trailed behind Yui and Miaka, really not wanting to do this.

It had nothing to with the fact that he didn't want to go face to face with the guardians; he just considered it beneath him to be doing such things at this time.

"You really didn't find any?" Yui asked, as they walked towards the large double doors.

Miaka nodded. "Yeah, and Taka helped me look. I'm surprised you didn't already get to Konan, considering Shannon already dealt with the guardians and had an interesting argument with Suboshi over the Shinzahou while Amiboshi did absolutely nothing – much like what Jonathan's doing now.

Yui paled slightly. "They're the guardians?"

Miaka again nodded, and added, "Yui-chan, what's wrong?"

"No-nothing!" Yui replied, getting all flushed. She sighed, letting her mind wander. 'Why is Shannon holding back…? He has his memories and obviously remembers how he felt. Why is he saying nothing and avoiding me? Does he really hate me? No, he couldn't; if he did, he would have told me. He doesn't seem like the type to hold back on telling someone that he hates them…'

In silence, the three entered the shrine, only to have to dive to the ground on Jonathan's orders. He instructed the two not to get up, and he went ahead.

"Put the damned Ryuuseisui away, Suboshi and I'll break heads if you take out the flute, Amiboshi. Now give the Shinzahou to either Miaka or Yui, so we can get the hell out of this godforsaken hell hole!" Jonathan barked.

Suboshi just smirked. "You're in a nasty mood, aren't you, Shannon?"

Yui blinked upon hearing that soothing and familiar voice. Looking up, she smiled softly and disregarding Jonathan's instructions ran past him, toward Suboshi.

She blinked and smiled sweetly at him. Blushing, she said, in almost a whisper quiet voice. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yui-sama…" he blushed and looked down. "I didn't think you would have ever come back, especially after your wish to Seiryuu to take you and Suzaku no Miko from this world…"

"I didn't expect it either. Fate is funny." She remarked, staring at him. Her heart fluttered. He was just a spirit now, but, she was unable to find comfort in the arms of his reincarnation that she loved as much as Suboshi. She longed for him or his reincarnation just to hold her… Once more… Again like at the summoning.

Tears fell down her face.

"Yui-sama! What's wrong?" he cried, wishing he could wipe away her tears.

She glanced at him sullenly. "I wish, that just once, I could be held again like you did before the summoning… I… I just want that, just once more. Just once more…" she whispered, sobbing. She turned her eyes from him. "I'm sorry, Suboshi… I should've treated you right. It's my fault you were killed. I knew how you felt, and now… It's too late…"

"Yui-sama…" he whispered, staring at her in awe. He may be dead, but he still felt the rush of a heart beat, the flow of raw human emotion pumping through his veins. He reached out, his hand ghosting through her.

Jonathan blinked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She really loved his brother, and yet his brother was doing nothing. Hell, his brother was doing much except running away!

'I may be possessive, but, shit; my brother's such an asshole! He's breaking her heart by doing nothing! He should at least tell her he's not interested instead of stringing her along! I'm used to his insensitivity, but, she isn't!' Jonathan turned to Suboshi and nodded. "Use my body…"

"What?" he gasped out.

"Hold her again. Shannon isn't doing it, and she does want it…as much as I really don't like her."

Suboshi blinked, and nodding his thanks, entered Jonathan's body. His true form showed through.

Bending down, he wrapped his arms around Yui. "Yui-sama… Stop crying, it'll be ok. I don't like it when you cry…"

Yui gasped, wondering what Jonathan was doing and then realised who it really was. "Suboshi!" she cried, burying her face against his chest.

Running his fingers through her hair, he whispered. "It's ok, Yui-sama. Even if my reincarnation doesn't love you, I always will. I will be waiting for you until the day you come to the heavens above. I will sit by the gates everyday waiting for you. Until then, I will watch over you from there."

Cupping her face in his hands, Suboshi gently kissed Yui.

It was a soft and brief kiss.

Pulling his lips from hers, they stared deeply into each other's eyes for a minute, before Suboshi tightly embraced her and whispered. "I love you…"

Tears continued to stream down her face. "I love you too… I wish I told you sooner."

"It's ok." He whispered, caressing her face. He kissed her on the forehead and added, "I'll be waiting for you, Yui-sama."

He let go of her and departed Jonathan's body.

Yui dropped to her knees, shuddering back tears.

Rushing to her friend's side, Miaka wrapped her arms around Yui. "It'll be ok, Yui-chan."

Free of Suboshi's spirit, Jonathan turned to the twin guardians. "We need the Shinzahou."

Amiboshi snorted. "What makes you think we're… HEY!! What are you doing, Suboshi??" He cried out angrily as Suboshi floated back in, the Shinzahou with him.

He stopped in front of Yui. "Here, this is what you came for. Take it before it falls into the wrong hands, Yui-sama."

Reaching for it, she nodded. "I won't…"

"Sayonara…"

Sitting alone, reading the scroll, Keisuke sighed. He was getting tired.

He wondered how much more he would be able to read before he fell flat on his face from exhaustion. He had been up for more than twenty-four hours. Miaka was a real piece of work sometimes…

Yawning, Keisuke stood up, stretching. He knew he was done for.

He was prepared to leave the room, but stopped dead in his tracks. A blue light? He turned around and watched the scroll glow. He knew that they had successfully gathered the Shinzahou from Konan with no problem due to the fact that Miaka was VERY welcomed there.

He wiped his bleary eyes, watching as the group reassembled in the living room.

Even before the light dispersed, he noticed one of the group members was already walking away. Before he could call out, Shannon left the apartment without much as a word.

He didn't want to move, as he didn't know what would happen to him if he did…

Eventually within the next minute, the blue light of Seiryuu faded.

Looking amongst each other, they checked to see if all parties were present.

Yui was the first to speak up. "Hey…where's Shannon?" she asked worriedly.

Keisuke pointed to the door. "He left before the light dispersed. I have no idea why; he didn't say anything."

"Why the hell would he do that unless… He's not going to do anything stupid…not on my watch!" Jonathan growled and bolted for the door. His brother was going to do something, and do something stupid!

"HEY!" Tetsuya cried indignantly, as Jonathan rushed past him.

He barely had a chance before Taka, followed by Miaka and Yui ran past.

Groaning, he stood back up. "What the hell is the matter with them?" He growled.

Keisuke shrugged. "Shannon just left, Jonathan believes his brother is about to do something stupid and the others are following him because… I don't know why."

"That was no reason to knock me onto my ass!" Tetsuya whined.

Keisuke shrugged. Yawning, he left the room. "Night, I'm going to bed… The scroll is on the table, though it likely won't record anything, as none of them are in that world."

"True, Kate was sent back earlier…"

Nodding again, Keisuke left the room

Materialising in the empty and dark apartment effortlessly, Marius, gazed around. No one was home, and yet he had felt the group return.

He remembered the deal he had made with Shannon in the event that they were unable to acquire two of the four objects that were in this world.

He was waiting to see when his colleague would show up, so they could make good on the plan and get the ball in motion and begin the next stage of the mission.

'It wouldn't have come to this if we hadn't been so quick to listen to Campbell! They guy is such an asshole. I can't believe Josef insisted on doing this. I can't believe he wanted to go to Morioka! I'm glad I sent my body double with him, otherwise…' Marius's expression darkened at the thought and recollection.

When they had arrived in Morioka at the Genbu Grotto with direction help from Keisuke and Tetsuya, they were about to begin the investigation when they were suddenly and unnecessarily ambushed by Luke Campbell and Yamato Michiko. The pair were ruthless in their attack.

First Michiko hit with her lightening, and when they dodged, Luke came out of the shadows, lunging at Josef, who barely had a chance to dodge the lightening of Michiko before he was taken down in one swift motion of the paw on behalf of Luke.

Marius hadn't moved his decoy. He figured it was easier than making it fight. 'Let them think I'm dead. It'll make the mission a hell of a lot easier for us. But, damnit, Tereshkova, why did you have to get killed? Didn't you think for a slight minute that there was something too slick about the whole thing? I mean, I was ready to also go, but…'

He stopped in mid thought as he saw the curtains flutter on the window and the shutters fly open. Through the window flew a figure, which landed silently and gracefully in front of Marius.

He smirked. "Nice entrance. Though, why not the front door, it is your apartment."

Shannon shrugged. "I knew you were here, so I decided to show off a bit…"

Rolling his eyes, Marius sat on the chesterfield. "It's time to proceed with the alternative…"

"I suspected it when I didn't feel Tereshkova's chi…" Shannon replied grimly. He reached for the coffee table and handed Marius his machete. "Use this in the illusion. It's the only one I ever use. Yui will recognise it, and so will Jonathan."

He sighed, as he placed it on the floor. "I'm ready for this, and yet I feel so much left undone."

"Then don't do it! We can figure out another way of getting the objects back!" Marius said, picking up the machete and placing it back in the drawer of the coffee table.

Shaking his head, Shannon objected. "No, do it! It's my fault… I really should have listened more to myself instead of ignoring it. It's my fault and it's too late. I don't have the confidence to face her and say what I feel…" he whispered sadly as he placed on his black assassin's cloak.

Moving for the window, he perched on the sill. "I'll keep you updated, Marius!"

'If you really have so much left undone, why run away?' Marius wondered, as he conjured up an illusion as he heard voices ringing in the corridor. Acting quickly, he finished what he had been assigned and teleported from the room, just as the door opened.

Bolting in, Yui and Jonathan were the first in, followed at their heels by Miaka and Taka; all four of which froze in their tracks at the sight of Shannon's body on the floor. Dead. Dead cold.

From his shin, Marius could watch the reaction play out. He frowned pensively. 'Was this really such a good idea? Wouldn't it have been better if I had taken the fall? Why did you decide that it was your life that was so worthless that you mattered to no one, and yet…they are weeping for you…?'

He looked to the shadows. "This wasn't a good idea. I think we should rethink our plan. I'm not the one with any deep connections here. It would have been better if I had."

Lurking in the shadows, Shannon, who was assumed to be dead, snorted derisively. "No, what's done is done! I'm sticking to this, and we aren't changing a thing!" He called over his shoulder as he jumped from the roof of the building, vanishing into the thick night fog.

'I still don't like this… There is something that isn't quite right about this whole thing…' Marius thought as he watched the group through the aid of his shin. 'And Yui…could she be the source of his unfinished business?'

He gasped, feeling briefly cold. He felt like a chi, a familiar one had vanished. 'No, his death is only an illusion! How can this be? He can't possibly be dead? Why can't I tune into his chi projection? No matter how much he tries, he could never fully seal it… No, the fool didn't! He couldn't have really taken his life!'

He frantically turned back to listen to the conversation.

"I feel cold… So cold. He really can't be dead…and yet, I can't feel him. I can't even feel his spirit any more. He's not even…" Jonathan shook violently before collapsing to the floor.

Marius closed his shin, turning his sights to where Shannon had vanished. 'You really did get killed… There is no other explanation. Even my illusion couldn't have masked your chi this well. You did it. You did it by killing yourself…'

He teleported down to the apartment.

Taka turned upon feeling another presence. "YOU!!" he growled scathingly. "What are you doing here?"

Marius looked between the members of the group. "I'm here because I'm a colleague of Shannon. I'm here because we were about to figure out a new course of action. I left and now, we are two agents short of what we had before."

Glaring at Marius, Yui growled, "it's your fault he's dead! You could have done your stupid mission without him! You and your friends kill him! I hate you, I hate all of you!" she cried angrily through her blinding tears.

"Yui-chan!" Miaka cried, reaching for her friend, holding her close.

"I couldn't stop him, and I couldn't stop them from killing Josef. That leaves only Jonathan and me to finish the rest…"

"What about me?" Taka asked, after calming down to Marius's presence.

Snorting, Marius remarked, "you? You have no memories!"

"I didn't until recently." Taka replied clipped. He glared at Marius before he turned to the others. "How should we…"

"I will. When an Interpol agent is killed, you can't just report it to the police. There are complicated procedures..."

Jonathan, who was on the ground, opened an eye and snorted, "So, it's like working for the CIA. Different label, same bullshit…" He sat up, sighing. "So, that means he's not buried Catholic as he would have wanted…"

"Who cares about procedures, give him what he would have wanted!" Yui cried out, glaring hatefully at Marius, the one she blamed for Shannon's death, even though it had been suicidal.

'Yeah… We could, but, I don't even know where his real body is. He really did kill himself…and I feel bad because he'll be stuck in purgatory because he didn't get the blessing of the Father.' Marius sighed to himself, walking for the door.

He paused. "His death is his own doing, yes. I should have stopped him, but, he is stronger than all of us… He was determined to. There was no stopping him."

'And now… I guess I can release the illusion after they transport the body. After all, he is truly dead and we'll never find his body. He has a way of hiding himself well.'

"Sir?"

"What is it?" Snapped a tall regal man, who glanced up from a book; he sat behind a mahogany desk, going over the latest sets of reports.

The scout replied, "There is a young man here requesting an audience with you. He identifies himself simple as Kai."

The man appeared intrigued. "Send him in."

He was shortly confronted by a relatively short and cloaked kid. He could see only the boy's mouth, which was twisted into a smirk.

"So, what use are you to us?"

"I'm an assassin for hire. I normally don't work for satanic causes, but, your mission intrigued me, and I've decided to volunteer my services for no cost, except for housing and daily expenditures."

The tall man considered it for a minute. There was something about the boy that was leading him not to blow the kid away. There was something about him that made him want to allow the kid the chance to work with them.

His lips also twisted into a cold smirk. "Accepted…"

Nodding, Kai replied, "Very good, Manley." He turned and in the blink of an eye was gone from the room.

Eugene Manley's eyes narrowed. 'There is something about him that I don't like, yet, I accepted his offer and took him aboard. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?'

From the dark corners of the office, Luke Campbell ambled forward. "The kid shows up off the street, and you hired him?"

Eugene shrugged. "He seems to have what many of the others lack, though, I don't quite trust him. Keep an eye on him, Luke. Make sure he doesn't betray us…"

Nodding, Luke left the office in search of the new kid. He too felt a great distrust for the newcomer, but was not inclined to tear him to bits.


	18. Chapter 18

Leader of Men

**Leader of Men**

I touch your hand, I touch your face

I think the fruit is rotten  
Give me lessons on how to breath  
'Cause I think I've forgotten  
I think I've forgotten

One day, up to a cliff  
That overlooked the water  
I jumped in to save a girl  
It was somebody's daughter  
And now the ring is on my hand  
It was given to me by her  
To this day we all sit around  
And dream of ways to get higher

To get much higher

(_Leader of Men_, The State, Nickelback)

The cloaked boy who had showed up at random at the doorstep of Hell's Gates, was very unwelcome by many. Although Eugene had allowed the boy in and had given instructions that the kid, who was a self-declared mercenary was to be left to his own devices and only answered to him, the others saw to it to pressure him into bowing to them.

The cloaked boy, who had simply given his name to be Kai, didn't pay attention to them as he considered all of them to be irrelevant, even Eugene, even though he pretended he cared what the asshole had to say. He cared for none of them; he knew none of them could touch him even if they turned on him.

He lurked in the shadows by day and by night was nowhere to be found. No one ever saw the face of the one called Kai. If they ever saw his eyes, underneath the coldness of his gaze was the bare soul of one who longed for a loved one who they feared they could never hold again; never touch again. Never be with again. They wouldn't see the glint of remorse and regret that danced in his eyes.

Never once did Kai's cloak come off. Never once did anyone catch a glimpse of him off-guard.

He was always calm and collected.

He was hated by all and loved by none.

That suited him. He didn't mind it; he was an assassin after all, and that was the kind of life that fate had signed him up for. Well, correction, the life he signed up for when he made a decision… A decision that while he regretted, he felt was necessary to change the course of fate and protect those he did love, even though he feared and knew he would never see them again. Fate was cruel like that…

At the moment, he sat on the railing of the top floor balcony that overlooked the city, holding his beloved machete. He had taken it with him before he had made his choice to come here. He never left home without it. He was proficient in gun use, but, he was partial to this machete. He had grown up in the tough streets, with this as his sole line of defence among other things.

Meticulously he sharpened the blade manually. He didn't trust machinery with this blade. He had used as his first line of defence against the world and against himself. He wanted to preserve the blade. The blade was his friend; it followed him into every battle he fought and won; and into the first and last battle he ever fought and lost.

His motions as he sharpened it were smooth and rhythmic.

The motions mimicked his calm and collect air. It reflected his nonchalant attitude and apathy to the world; the mask that he showed to everyone, hiding what was truly beneath the cloak: both his identity and feelings.

Minutes later, when he was satisfied that it was sharpened to the point that he could split a hair in half, he sheathed it and replaced it under his cloak and jumped down from the railing, landing gracefully on the balcony below.

Walking inside, paying no heed to the people around him

He didn't care that they were giving him 'looks'. He ignored them; they rolled off his back like drops of rain.

Taking it on himself, he headed for one of the two protected sanctuaries.

He had been with them for two weeks and had learned of the two protected places and the sacred objects that were held with in. From the shadows where he lurked by day and slept by night, he watched silently, learning about those who guarded it and the schedule. He wasn't yet considered 'trusted', so he was relieved of the duty of watching over these sacred objects.

At the moment, he stood, concealed within the depths of the shadows, watching and waiting. During his time in the shadows, he had come to learn who was the strongest and who was the weakest.

He touched the handle of his machete as he watched the two guards take their post.

'Should I take this pair down today, or should I wait until both sanctuaries are guarded by weaker Seishi and make my move then? Yes, perhaps I should wait. I'll need to make the heist then. There is no point in making two separate attacks. It'll consequently make the second difficult.' He reasoned as he drew further back into the shadows and made a beeline for the exit.

Once back out, he looked to the sky. The night had fallen; stars brightly danced in the sky and the moon was by a waning sliver that hung gracefully in the velvety night sky.

He turned his eyes back ahead of him and sighed softly, taking in a breath of fresh night air.

The night was his time of day.

He considered himself to be a nocturnal creature. He liked the darkness. It gave him life.

The emptiness of the streets were fine by him; just another way of being engulfed in the bliss of solace.

With his hands in his pockets under his cloak, Kai wandered aimlessly, just enjoying the empty streets of Tokyo at the darkest hour. Actually, he was enjoying himself until he spotted a girl who stood alone. She was at the arch of bridge, leaning on the rail, looking down.

Frowning to himself, Kai headed straight for her. He suppressed any thoughts he was having at the moment in case anyone decided to tune into his chi band range (though he knew it was impossible, but, there was no harm in taking any extra precautions).

The girl looked up as she heard soft rustling footsteps approaching her.

Instinctively, she backed up, preparing to protect herself against this cloaked person in the event that he was one of those people who stealthily skulked through the shadows, waiting to make their attack when the victim wasn't watching and there was no one around.

She glared at him, her eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

He merely stared back at her. "I'm a mercenary for hire." He replied coolly.

She snorted derisively. "So, I doubt you'll give me your name then." She then bitterly added, "you're here to kill or hurt me, right? Do it… It makes no difference anyway. My life has no meaning. Hell, that river there looks very welcoming right about now. I'll make your job easier for you and…"

He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the rail.

"Suicide isn't the answer to life's problems. And no, I'm not going to hurt you. You just looked lost. I too am a wanderer." He said, letting her wrist go.

Rubbing her wrist, she continued to glare at him. "That wasn't nice!"

Kai shrugged, his lips twisting into a cruel yet oddly familiar smirk. "Life isn't very kind. Don't you agree, Hongou-san?"

She stared at him aghast. How in god's name did he know her name? She stepped back protectively and growled, "Who are you and how do you know who I am?"

He took her hand in his and kissed it. He didn't bring his eyes up, for even if he did, they were shadowed by his cloak. "To my enemies and those who threaten the innocent, I am an assassin. To the innocent and good, I am a guardian who watches over you, making sure nothing happens. God may be everywhere, but he can't protect you at every turn. That is why he had assigned all good-hearted people with guardian angels, even when they make the wrong choices in life."

Yui blushed, pulling her hand from his. She couldn't explain it, but his actions were strangely comforting and offered a certain level of acquaintance. She felt part of her initial distrust fade.

She smiled softly, "Now, how about a name, instead of a vague description?"

"Names are meaningless, though, if you must know, I'm Kai. You may simply call me Kai. I have no use for a last name. I'm my own person and do not feel the need to indicate the clan to which I belong." Kai replied, as he sat on the rail, watching her closely.

She watched him concernedly. "Are you sure it's safe to sit there like that?"

He shrugged. "What the worse that can happen? Sure I could fall off, but, hey, I'm already dead to the world. What difference does it make? I can't die thrice, now, can I?"

Yui blinked, staring at him perplexedly. "What do you mean die thrice? Someone can only die once…." She trailed off, remembering that many of the reincarnated Seishi already died once and in Shannon's case, he had died twice.

'Wait a minute… How can one die thrice? The Seishi can only die twice! They die once in their first lives and then die a second time. So, Shannon's died twice, as have a couple of others. So, how does one die for a third time?' she wondered, as she pondered his words, his very strange bewildering words.

"Were your Seishi not reincarnated, Seiryuu no Miko? And didn't at least one die? It is possible to die thrice, once one has died twice."

She blinked; he was really screwing with her mind and she didn't like it one bit.

Moving in closer, she indignantly exclaimed, "You're full of it! They can only die twice! He only died twice!" Tears violently streaked down her face.

He reached out and wiped the tears from her face. "Don't cry, Hongou-san. Tears do not flatter you. I did not mean to make you cry, I was just proposing an idea. Besides, you asked me. I was just telling you about myself. Unless you do not wish to know…"

He moved down from the rail. "I thought that if you knew more, we could have more trust. I sensed a great amount of distrust in your aura."

She snorted. "For someone I just met, you seem to know an awful lot about me."

Smirking, Kai replied, "of course I have to, otherwise, what kind of guardian angel would I be?"

"So, then, you don't mind answering any question?" Yui asked, crossing her arms over her chest, as she peered closely at him.

He nodded. "Not at all… BUT, with two exceptions – you are not to ask me about what I look like or to ask me to remove the hood of my cloak."

'Damn!' She cursed to herself. Then again, she could learn a lot like that when then when he was most vulnerable, catch him off guard and removed that damnable hood to see what he looked like, assuming it was a he and not a very masculine sounding female.

"Perhaps sitting down would be a good way to start if you want to ask me anything…"

"I know of a nearby café that is open at this time! A friend of mine is on duty! He could serve us for free!" Yui smirked gleefully. Taka always gave freebies to her and Miaka.

Kai again suppressed any thoughts he was having; this time ones of doubt.

The place Yui led them to, was more than familiar to Kai. In the darkness, it looked the same as it did in the daylight, only not crawling with students.

She led him to the table she always sat at and he flinched. He really didn't like it; too many memories. He would have preferred another café, or short of that, at least another table.

Waving, she called out to Taka who was standing around. "Who do I have to kill around here for a cup of tea?"

Chuckling, Taka strolled over to the table. "Hey, I didn't expect to see you out this late. You seem a little better."

She nodded.

Arching an eyebrow, Taka then gazed at her cloaked companion. He nodded in the newcomer's direction and asked Yui, "who's the stranger?"

"Him? That's Kai." Yui explained, and then went to introduce Kai, but instead, the boy smirked.

He didn't lift his head. "So, Taka… Nice to meet…again…"

Taka stared at him. He didn't know what to say.

Breaking the awkward silence on Taka's part, Yui explained, "Don't ask, Taka. It's better not to ask. You'll be better off not knowing."

Shaking his head, Taka nodded and turned to Kai. "I already know what Yui wants. Her order never changes."

A twisted and yet gleeful grim crossed Kai's lips. "I'll take a triple-shot espresso in an extra large cup, and make it Irish."

Taka shuddered, his stomach twisting in knots. He really hated that drink; he had tried it once upon a time. Shannon used to make it on his break. Out of morbid curiosity, Taka had tried it, naïve to the bitter taste of it. He never thought it was possible that someone else would ever order such a disgusting cup of coffee.

Yui blinked and remarked, "Uh…sounds interesting…"

"That's one way of putting it…" Taka replied sarcastically. "How can anyone possibly drink it?"

"Simple… Open your mouth and sip." Kai snidely explained.

Glaring at him, Taka bite out scathingly, "I do not need any wisecracks from a guy that doesn't have the courage to show himself."

The last time he had been victim to such sarcasm, was when Shannon made a routine of making snide comments to rhetorical questions.

"Yui, nice companion… I see he's taken a page from the O'Kelly handbook on sarcasm." Taka dryly stated, before he left the table to take care of the order.

Once alone, Yui turned to Kai and grinned, resting her chin on her hand. "Just pretend this is the Spanish Inquisition. You have no choice but to answer everything… Of course, with the exception you gave me…" she quickly added.

"No, the Spanish Inquisition was much and they had men doing the interrogations. Beautiful women were barred from seeing such barbaric practices; they also were kept out of it." Kai remarked softly, reaching out to caress Yui's cheek.

She felt herself swoon slightly. It felt so wrong, and yet so right. She loved Shannon so much that it hurt. She had been withdrawn and depressed when she found herself faced with his death. She knew it was then that she would never be able to pick up the pieces of her heart. They belonged to him. The shattered remains had been buried with him, or so she had thought.

'Why am I reacting to this stranger?' Yui wondered sadly. She didn't understand why she was responding to him and yet rejected even the sweetest kind boy who looked at her. 'Why…'

"Sadness is not becoming of you, Hongou-san. Smile for me, your smile is so heart-warming. A smile from you is worth more than all the gold in the vaults of a thousand emperors."

She smiled, but it was sad. A faint blush caressed her nose.

Kai rolled his eyes, though it went unnoticed. "That's a start…"

"Now, how's this for a start… What's your full name?"

Kai faked a sob – he loathed the name he went by! He sighed and relented, "if you must know, my name full birth name is Karl Kai Vandenberg-Schwartz…" He then muttered something under his breath about how he hated his full name.

He groaned. "I really hate my name, which is why I only go by the name of Kai."

She nodded, "So, you're German?" she pressed. It was a start. Yui knew better than to go in for intimate details right away.

Kai shook his head. "Not entirely… I'm German-Austrian. The man who had the gall to call himself my father is German and the bitch who abandoned us is Austrian…"

"You hate your parents?"

He snorted. "They are not worthy of the reference! My brother and I were abandoned by them. Albrecht… the brother I sadly never knew."

Pausing for a minute as Taka brought them their orders; Yui blew on her tea, pensively staring into the steaming liquid before she gazed up.

Meanwhile Kai kept his eyes down. He knew he had lied right through his teeth. 'But, it'll keep her in the dark. I can't have anyone finding out. I know she'll tell him, and he has access to the same databases that I do…'

Sipping her tea, Yui gazed up. "How old are you?"

Kai smirked, snidely asking, "You actually think my age can be measured in years? Though, if you insist, I'm twenty-three years old, turning twenty-four in a month from now…"

Now was currently February; Yui was in her senior year. She had one more semester left in high school – her current semester. She was eighteen, but hadn't had her coming of age ceremony yet. She was expected to participate because her parents were traditionalists… She didn't want to, but she didn't really have that much say in the matter as she didn't want to incur her parent's wrath before she was out of university or, had a place to live.

She was spending more time at Jonathan's apartment now. She didn't think her welcome there would last long, though; she had been there since Shannon had died and Jonathan had made no indication that she was to leave any time soon.

She arched an eyebrow at him. He seemed awfully young to be a "guardian angel". Then again, she had thought Shannon far too young to have a high class job as an international agent (though, still low in the rank and file), but once she realised that the four who were handling the Hell's Gates case, were all in their twenties, she reconsidered her initial beliefs.

Quietly taking another sip, she drew an immediately conclusion about Kai, 'he's like Shannon. He doesn't say much and his answers are snide and usually don't contain all the data I want. And yet… I can't help but to feel a draw to him. There is something familiarly comforting about him that I can't place my finger on.'

Placing her cup down, she once more rested her chin on her hand and just kept her gaze trained on Kai, trying to picture what he looked like. The only thing she could tell was that he was European; German given his name and that he was well-built.

She blinked as he turned his head to the left. 'What the…'

She reached out, only to have Kai catch her wrist and sternly warn her, "Do not attempt to even remove the hood."

She stammered in reply, flushed, "I…I didn't mean anything by it, Kai. I was just curious about the… It's a scar on your left cheek, right?"

He sighed and shrugged. "I'm not answering that, as that is about what I look like…"

Yui scowled. She didn't like getting 'no' for an answer. She got a lot of those when she used to ask Shannon questions. The only time she NEVER got a "no", or even a "yes" was when she asked him about how he felt about her. He could never give her a straight-answer; he always tripped over his own tongue.

She did get a few more questions answered, but, the entire time she felt like she was trying to ask Shannon questions. What little she had known of her one true love was stuff she found out when he did voluntarily pony up any personal data; it seemed to be too much information in Yui's opinion.

There were times when he did answer her questions, though his answers seem to be forced. She knew he was a very secretive personal. Almost too secretive, and yet, she couldn't help her feelings. They spilt over from when she had first known him.

Spending the last few hours with him had been peaceful and she hoped to take into Jonathan's apartment, but, unfortunately, she couldn't as she heard a resonating crash come from the spare room Jonathan had in his more than spacious apartment.

Running for the room, just after she entered the place – she had been escorted home by Kai, who, just before he departed and seemed to vanish into thin air, kissed her on the hand and whispered something on a language she had never heard before – she stopped at the door.

Jonathan cackled maniacally. He lay sprawled on the ground for a minute, his flute in hand. "I am victorious!"

Yui's left eye twitched. "You're sprawled out on the floor, the safe door blown off, the place looks like it's been through a German Blitz attack and you claim you were victorious?" She exclaimed scathingly.

"Well… Yeah!" Jonathan replied optimistically as he sat up. He shook his head and stood up. "I finally got that damned safe opened and… AW FUCK!!"

Yui arched an eyebrow, and Jonathan sobbed.

"Only my brother would put safes in safes!!"

Yui shrugged. "So? You probably have no business going in there anyway."

Growling, Jonathan stormed over and resumed his attempts to open the safes.

Yui snickered. "You'll never get it open. Shannon isn't stupid enough to make six individual safes."

"How do you know?" Jonathan retorted.

Yui smirked. "Quite simple. First of all, he explained that he knows people when they encounter all six will not think that it's just one. So, no matter how many times you try to open it, you'll never be able to."

Jonathan glared at her. "If you think you're such a genius, do it yourself!"

"Fine, I will." Yui brushed past him.

Remembering what Shannon had told her: "the one safe on the top right hand side is where the actual combo goes in. The others are all to be left on the number seven."

Back then. She had asked him about the combo, and he had given her a sly grin. "So, you want a hint, eh? Ok, figure out who I'd give my soul to and that's the combo."

Opening her eyes, Yui focused on the one section after turning all the other dials to seven. 'Who could that person be?' She wondered, as she looked at the one section.

She then remembered that she had to lift the traditional lock into to get to the dial pad lock. Doing so, she grinned eagerly. The dial pad had numbers as well as letters. This would be interesting.

"Now…who's the person he was referring to..." she mused out loud.

Jonathan cocked an eyebrow at her. "What are you talking about?"

She motioned him over. "See this dial pad? Shannon once told me that the combo for it is the name of the one person he'd give his soul to."

Musing to himself, Jonathan studied it for a minute then tried one. 'If I remember correctly… That time when he gave me that awful tasting broth… I wonder if it has to do with then…'

He then attempted to punch in the letter combo of Y-U-I-S-A-M-A (or, numerically, 985727). However, when he tried to open it, he was met with resistance.

"Damnit it!"

Lurking in the shadows, unbeknownst to Jonathan and Yui was Kai. He stood on the balcony just outside of the room where the two were, watching them carefully. He knew what they were doing and pondered messing with their heads a bit. It wasn't beneath him. Besides, it would be amusing to play a game of cat and mouse with Jonathan once the guy had the safe open.

'I'm quite impressed. I didn't know he'd be able to get by the first part of it with just the flute. Quite impressive, really. Though, it'll take them sometime to get through the next. It really will be much too hard for them without a touch of assistance, now, wouldn't?' Kai mused to himself, chuckling softly as he watched their struggle.

A twisted smirk crossed his lips. 'Or, I could play with him directly. But, first, lights are certainly going to make my little game hard, now won't they? They will have go, or else, what fun is there in playing?'

He blinked and the street lights in the area all burst at the same time, the light fading from the street.

There were no screams.

'They night is dead to all but to us shadows.' He cackled to himself, as his eyes fell on the electrical box for the building. 'There is no harm in doing that… After all, they are asleep… Except for the night owls.'

Flying down from where he was perched in the tree, he opened the box and remembering the correct line to cut, severed all electricity to the apartment where Jonathan and Yui were at the moment.

Smirking gleefully to himself, Kai literally flew back up to his perch in the tree. 'Yes, chaos is quite delightful. Now… if I time it right, I can get and prevent any sensitive data being leaked at this point. There is no sense in either of them getting their hands on such confidential documents. There was no earlier prevention, but, later prevention is better than none…'

He gazed at the window, as the gentle night breeze turned into a moderate wind force, indicating an incoming weather system, Kai blinked, forcing the windows open. Once they were open, he timed his move carefully, so he could balance on the window sill and make it over to the safe without ever setting foot on the floor.

When the lights had gone out, Yui offered a yelp of surprise and backed away from the safe. Jonathan cursed and kicked the safe, figuring that his brother had some how booby-trapped it in case anyone ever tried to get in.

Another cry of surprise came from Yui as the window flew open quite violently, and the curtains picked up the night's winds.

Then, on those same winds, in flew a cloaked figure.

Instinctively, Jonathan moved in front of Yui, taking his flute as the figure landed on the top of the safe.

Kai raised a hand. "You have two choices, Private Anderson, you can put the flute away, or I can obliterate it…"

Jonathan dropped the flute, paling. He didn't want to believe it, and yet, the truth was in front of him. The past that he thought was buried deep in the classified files of the CIA had rooted its ugly head again.

That only meant one thing – this guy had been the one who had helped him that time!

Gracefully stepping down from the safe, Kai picked up the flute and handed it back to Jonathan. "I'm sorry if it brings back horrible memories, but, I knew it would have a shock value, and it did, didn't it, Private?"

"Never remind me of that!" Jonathan bit out scathingly, his eyes flaring.

Yui gazed pensively between the two. They obviously had a previous connection, and it was not something Jonathan wanted to be reminded of.

Chuckling, Kai turned his back to the pair and in the blink of an eye, opened the safe. From inside flew a small set of papers. Once they were in hand, he placed them into his cloak and jumped back on top of the safe. "I didn't mean to intrude… I'll leave you to two to your endeavours, and, by the way, the safe's open."

He turned his gaze to Yui. "I'll be around… I'll come back when you don't have Private Anderson here to act like a dork.

"And Private…" Kai switched into German. "Watch your back, Albrecht… I can't always watch it for you…"

With the closing of his two statements, Kai left the same way he came.

Jonathan blinked and growled. "God, I hate that guy so much! He saves my ass from the damned camel jockeys then gives me a flask of water and his head gear and tells me to watch my back when walking through the desert and vanishes into the sunset! The moron hasn't changed a bit! And… I did NOT need to be reminded any more of my sordid past!"

Yui blinked and stared in shock as Jonathan ranted and threw a tantrum.

She sighed. 'Well, at least he's ranting in a language I can't understand…'

That was true, Jonathan had taken to ranting in Gaelic – he had learned it from his brother. He also had learned German from his brother. Before then, he knew English, Russian and Japanese.

Shaking her head, Yui decided to leave Jonathan to his devices, but then she heard a sigh and turned around. "What's wrong?"

"That guy… I know him. He hasn't changed in almost eight years. He's still the same cloaked bastard he was when I was fourteen…and… He knows how to make a guy feel bad."

"What did he say to you before he left?"

"Told me to watch my back because he can't always do it…"

"Did he call you Albrecht?"

"I hate that fucking name!"

"Did he or didn't he?"

"Yes he did, not fuck off about that!"

She rubbing her chin for a minute before something Kai had said came to her. "Jonathan… Is your birth name Albrecht Vandenberg-Schwartz?"

He shook his head. "It's Albrecht Schwartz."

Yui suddenly declared, "Then Kai's lying to me!"

Jonathan arched an eyebrow. "Eh…?"

"Yes," she nodded, "Kai lied; he is a Schwartz and not whatever that polysyllabic crap name was… And, he is Shannon… It's the only way to explain the connection between you and him."

"No, it isn't. Shannon died… Kai is not Shannon."

Yui glared at him. She knew that as well as Jonathan did, but her gut instinct was telling her otherwise. "You are just not trying hard enough to find his chi!"

"I resent that! You know as well as I do that I wouldn't give up that easily!" Jonathan exclaimed, tears burning behind his eyes. "I wouldn't give up that easily on my brother! But, the last time I felt so cold was the first time he died!"

Yui pulled back and looked down. "Sorry…"

He gazed over and sighed softly. "It's not your fault…" He reached out, stroking her cheek.

He reflexively pulled back. He didn't know why he was doing this. Ever since she had her break down in the Mausoleum, his feelings towards her had changed. He had been jealous of her, but, he got over that when he realised that she was in the same boat of him.

Then, in the time since his twin's death, he felt himself grown attracted to her. He still retained all emotions he previously had for Shannon, but there were new feelings evoked in him; ones for Yui. He wanted to express them, but he feared if he did, she'd only respond because he was identical to Shannon…

Which left him two choices, tell her or not.

She sighed, and gazed over at him…

Not being able to take it any more, Jonathan pulled Yui into his arms and kissed her.


	19. Chapter 19

Should've Listened

**Should've Listened**

_And still I don't understand._

Well now, I guess I should've listened.  
When you said you've had enough.  
A little trick I picked up from my father.  
In one ear and out the other.  
Why's love got to be so tough?

(_Should've Listened_, The Long Road, Nickelback)

He sat alone in the corner, his hood down. He was shielded by the comforting embrace of the shadows that surrounded him. He had no need for light. It'd betray him. He didn't need that right now. He needed solace in which he could calculate his next move. The purity of the shadows around him gave him just that.

He could be alone with his thoughts, or at least he thought until he heard the roof door opened. He grunted and pulled up his hood. There was no sense in having anyone actually see him. He had that planned for later. Right now, secrecy was the key; being shrouded was the only way to keep anyone from knowing the truth.

He gazed for his left.

"What the fuck do you want, Manley?" He growled.

Chuckling at the nastiness in the boy's voice, Eugene wandered over to where Kai sat, or rather kneeled in the darkness. "You're impossible to track. If it wasn't for surveillance cameras, I'd never even know if you entered the place. You have no chi…"

Kai smirked. "I have a chi; I just have projected it to another range. I have no need to keep it down in your range. Only weak Seishi keep their chi down there. It is a way of alerting others to one's presence. I do not have a need for that."

Eugene regarded Kai closely. "Seishi…" he arched an eyebrow and added in the form of a question, his eyes narrow, "what do you know about the Seishi?"

"I know you're Seiryuu Seishi Miboshi… Jakob, who is Nakago, was a weak fool. He hadn't the capacity to defend against a mindless lapdog like Luke, or, Ashitare." Kai remarked flippantly.

Glaring at Kai, Eugene scathingly bit out. "If you know so much, then why don't you tell me who the hell you are before I kill you…"

"You kill me?" Kai laughed in Manley's face. "You're amusing. You honestly think you can kill me? No one can kill me, no one can touch me."

Lifting his hand, the cloak falling from around his forearm, he blinked the Ryuuseisui materialising. As it came to life, it snaked up around his arm, grazing him seductively. He shuddered a moan of pleasure, before he let it fly off, trapping Luke who had just entered the area seconds ago, coming in to talk to Eugene about security.

Yelping in surprise, Luke fell over, unable to free himself from the binds.

Eugene just nodded. He appeared impressed. A trusted smirk caressed his lips. Luke's usefulness had worn thin. The guy was good for quick and dirty killings, but, if Kai was stronger, then Luke had no purpose. Eugene didn't waste time on those he considered to be inferior, unless they ultimately had a use.

He decided to test Kai's skills.

"Nice start. I see your telekinesis has improved. Perhaps you could show me more? I'd like to see what you can do without the help of your Ryuuseisui. I can't feel your chi and yet you're using your skills." Eugene remarked, regarding the prone form of Luke.

He turned to Kai and requested, "In other words, kill him."

"WHAT?" Luke cried out indignantly as he struggled against the constraints of the Ryuuseisui. "Manley, I'm one of the best fighters you have! There is no possible reason you'd have to kill me! That guy has no chi and he's useless!"

Walking over, Eugene indicated for Kai to hold fire. Reaching down, he grabbed Luke by the collar. "Kai has more useful skills than you and Jakob combined. He's Suboshi's reincarnation. If he can trapped you without using any chi, then, it means he can certainly control his chi better than you. I cannot risk having any more of our operations exposed due to the likes of clumsy people like you."

He dropped Luke back on the ground unceremoniously, and turned his back to him. He walked away, giving Kai a hand signal to go ahead and demonstrate his skills.

"HEY! Wait… Who got risk of that pesky Agent Tereshkova? I know where Agent Bartecelli is…"

"Silence!" Kai growled. He didn't need Luke to say any more.

Blinking, he concentrated for a minute, slowly crushing in Luke's skull, while not projecting his chi. He knew it was a tricky task, but he could do it. Besides, it was far more productive and amusing to kill someone like this. He enjoyed the resonating anguished screams that reverberated from the writhing form of Luke before his skull was completely crushed into a ball of nothing more than pus, blood and fragments of brain and lumpy, fluid drenched clumps of brain tissue.

Eugene nodded. "I'd have expected speed from most, but, you seem rather sadistic, so, I didn't really expect it. I take you enjoy watching your victims writhe under your powers."

"It's got a certain euphoric gratification to it… Something only found in sex." Kai replied coolly. He then smirked as Eugene turned his back to him. "Almost as much as seeing you die as well."

"What?" he snapped angrily, as he pivoted around to face Kai, taking a defensive stance.

Dropping his hood, Kai continued to stand in the shadows. "You heard me. You aren't deaf." He wandered out of the shadows. "I'm going to kill you… I have no use for you, as you are nothing more than a pox on the face of humanity, and insult to my existence."

Eugene prepared to summon his first line of defence, as he demanded, "who the fuck are you?"

Kai smirked. "I am your worst nightmare…"

A deep growl reverberated in Eugene's throat as his eyes focused on Kai, who emerged gracefully from the shadows, dropping his cloak to the ground. The boy was built strongly. He was also a decent height. His eyes flared dangerously, and he emitted a strong aura.

"Worst nightmare…" the leader echoed, as it dawned on him who this really was. It was the one person he had never expected to exist. The one person who evaded him; the one no one could find, track down…

"You're…"

Eugene didn't finish the sentence before the Ryuuseisui penetrated him.

Coughing up blood, Eugene fell to his knees, clutching the gapping hole in his chest, as blood rushed forward, seeping through his fingers, raining to the ground.

Kai cackled. "Now, you have two choices. You can either been killed quickly and mercilessly, or, you can lay on the ground and bleed to death as I tell you how you're a weak fool unable to defeat the likes of me…:" he purred hatefully, as he picked up his cloak and wrapped it back around himself.

"I hate you…" Eugene growled, coughing up blood. He fell on his front. He felt so cold. He never thought that he would end like this. He needed to get out of this body. He couldn't die here. He needed a new form quickly. He attempted to escape from the body, but realised that it was futile. His chi was being suppressed by Kai's.

"I'm glad you do… Or I'd feel bad about this!" Kai reached down and thrust his bare hand into Eugene's body through the wound on the back. Yanking, he literally ripped out the guy's heart, blood pumping for a couple of seconds. The veins that were attached to it continued to drip plasmic fluid down his arm before he dropped the heart on the ground, stepping on it, as Eugene lay in a cesspool of drying blood, just feet away from the dead body of Luke.

Wandering into the headquarters, he was faced with three Seishi who weren't on guard duty.

He smirked. "You're going to stand in my way and risk certain death? You're fools you know.

"You have two choices…" he added. "You can move, or you can wind up like Manley." He explained as he pushed through, wiping the blood from his hand onto Michiko's face.

Once he was through, he spun around and declared. "From now on, things are going according to my rules, or more blood is spilt."

Michiko stood in place, her grey eyes hatefully fixed on Kai. She had mixed feelings about him. She hated that he was demanding control since he was a newcomer, and yet didn't hate him because he had killed the man who had killed her beloved Jakob. She decided to stay back for now.

To her right was a blue-haired man, or rather kid, of about seventeen, Richard Palmerton, alias Chichiri. He had joined because he believed that this would be an excellent chance for forge an alliance between the two worlds. It seemed like a chance to merge the benefits of both worlds that he loved.

To the left of Richard stood a tall regal looking man, Andy Won, or, Hotohori. He was a well-known Chinese pop star from Hong Kong. Like Richard, he joined the rank and file of the group for the reason he missed his old home and yet loved this one.

The two hated Manley, but never did anything about it. The man was a visionary – well, to the extent that one could be without bordering on insane asylum escapee.

Michiko raised her arm to indicate that they weren't to attack, while keeping her gaze trained on Kai. She snorted derisively, "So, what exactly makes you better than Manley?"

"Well, first of all…everything." Kai replied, a cocky smirk dancing over his lips.

Michiko glared at him. "So, then who are you and why should we follow you?"

"Oh, questioning me now, are you? Not at all wise. I'm not as forgiving as Manley. It's my way…or…death…" Kai blinked, focusing on poor Andy Won who stood back glaring at him, his hand on the hilt of his Katana.

Snapping his fingers, Kai summoned the Ryuuseisui which sliced through Andy without being visible to the naked eye.

Bringing it back, Kai allowed for it seductively snake around his forearm as he stared at Michiko levelly. "Yes, I do not accept any form of dissent." He walked over and nudged the unconscious and now dead form of Andy, with his foot. "If you do not listen to me, this is the kind of fate that awaits you. I am not a kind mind, or a forgiving man. I have no patience for those who make sport of going behind my back."

Richard who had been a close friend of Andy scathingly growled, "What the hell are you, no da? You have no chi and yet you murdered my friend with such ease? Tell me before I kill you!"

"You kill me? Do you know how many times Manley put a bounty on my head, only to have his beloved assassins delivered back to him in a bloody heap of mangled limbs?" Kai purred maliciously.

Reaching into his cloak, Kai removed two objects and held them up. "I have no more reason to be here. I got what I came here for. Now…try and stop me!"

Moving swiftly, he dodged the seemingly infantile attacks by Richard, while Michiko stood back, regarding him. She couldn't explain it, but she wanted to follow him out of here. He was more of a leader than Manley had been. He seemed far surer of himself, and better able to handle his skills.

She acknowledged that Manley had been a good leader…until the death order on Jakob. At that point she lost all respect for him, longing for a leader who didn't kill anyone because they were weak.

Yes, Kai had killed Andy, but it had been to establish his place as the leader and to make it clear about his expectations – that was until he announced he had no use for this and just left.

'There is something about him… I can't place my finger on it, but he's not like our other enemies. The other agents couldn't do what he did. Could he be the one agent Manley could never find anything on and yet sensed a fraction of a chi?' Michiko wondered, her eyes narrowing.

Looks can be and are deceiving.

Trust is very fragile. It can be won with the bat of an eye lash by a charismatic seductress or lost at the utterance of the wrong word by those with pure intentions.

Those who hand out trust easily are those who are killed the easiest. She knew this, as she regarded Marius, as he filed his nails. He had been the unfortunate duty of protecting the girl from the remains of the cult.

He didn't trust her at all, and yet, he was forced to trust her to a certain degree because she had supposedly been brainwashed to help the cause of their enemy. However, he knew better than to give her any signs of trust – not that he had any for her – because then she'd get too comfortable.

Kate sipped her tea. Placing the cup back down on the saucer, she pushed her hair back and turned to Marius. She didn't like him, or any of the others for that matter. She had just been very good at pretending to care. She needed it, according to Eugene, in order to get them to believe she had been the victim.

She had also been informed that her brother had been killed in cold blood by the agents who pretended that they cared about her. Not even her classmates cared; they were just using her because they knew she would be closer to fulfilling eh requirements. Kate wasn't stupid. She knew what she was doing.

Everything she had done with them had been a flimsy façade.

She had deliberately chosen to return before the others. She had quickly gone to report to Eugene, who explained that they needed decoy objects set up in Morioka. They were to have the agents lured there and Luke Campbell would lead the attack.

She was pleased that Agent Tereshkova had been an easy kill – history was very good about repeating itself. She had been very angry when Agent Bartecelli got away. At that point, she made her personal mission to kill him herself.

This had played nicely into Eugene's hands.

He had deceived her into believing that Terry had been killed by the agents who were working against them. With that kind of knowledge, he was able to twist Kate into doing his biddings without having to control her like he did before.

She sipped her tea again, her eyes still trained on him.

Placing her cup back down, she picked up the pot, would you like a cup, Marius?" she asked sweetly, only to get a cold side long glace.

He snorted derisively. "No, I'm fine, I do not do tea – what do you think I am, English?"

Growling, Kate placed it down. Replying sarcastically, she bit out, "sorry for trying to be nice!'

"I wouldn't count that as being nice. You're just a stupid kid pretending to suck up. We all know you're still one of them, even if you pretend otherwise. Once you make a choice in life, no matter what you do, you can't change…"

"That is a lie. You know as well as I do that Manley was controlling me. I didn't appreciate having my mind taken from me!" she retorted angrily.

Marius sniffed disdainfully and reiterated, "You're still at heart one of them and there are no two ways about it."

Flipping his nail file, he switched hands. "So, why don't you shut-up for a while? I do not have the patience to talk to a stupid child. It's bad enough I have to baby-sit you."

Snarling, she scathingly hissed, "No one is baby sitting anyone! Shut your damned mouth, you're being a cocky bastard! And no one is impressed!"

He smirked. "No one has to be impressed. Besides, we already know I am one."

She growled and saying nothing, went back to sipping her tea.

She sighed. 'How else will I kill him? I'm not stronger. Perhaps I could outwit him. He is slow in that department.'

She hadn't spoken to Eugene in a few days, so didn't know that he was dead; she hadn't been able to sense his chi, so when it went missing, she went about her business, still acting on her orders.

If she could kill this one agent, it would leave Agent Jonathan Anderson as the only one of the four agents alive. He was, without his twin was vulnerable – or at least appeared to be because he still insisted on using that damned flute. She wasn't going to kill him herself; that was left to others in the group.

Standing up, she reached into her pocket and going behind Marius's back, she pulled out a handkerchief and a small bottle of chloroform. Dampening the handkerchief with it, she moved quickly and slapped it over Marius's mouth and nose before he could counter the attack.

She let him drop unconscious.

Snorting, she reached into her pocket and took out a syringe. She removed the cap and tapped it so the air bubble moved above the liquid. She gave it a test squirt before pushing up the sleeve on Marius's left arm and working quickly, she located a vein that she could easily and swiftly make the injection into.

Carefully putting the needle in, so that it would penetrate his vein, she injected the liquid into his blood stream.

Pocketing the syringe, she stood up smirking. 'Pleasant dreams, Agent Bartecelli…' She giggled to herself.

Gathering up anything that contained her DNA, she put it into a plastic bag and headed for the exit. She stopped and gazed around. She didn't want any evidence left behind. Taking out a pair of latex gloves, she quickly worked to remove any evidence of DNA and finger prints as best she could.

She didn't care about the body.

Sure they'd do an autopsy and everything, but, that still didn't mean squat if they didn't find any other evidence – especially the crucial DNA, which would no doubt lead to an arrest and a conviction.

Everything that she had cleaned up and gathered into a bag, she had decided to burn… Heck, why not burn the place down? What was an arson charge on top of a homicide charge? She knew that the murder was a first degree murder, meaning it had been premeditated and planned.

Quickly leaving the trailer, she took out some dynamite and planting it on the side, set the timer for a minute. Before setting it, she dumped the evidence beside the explosive – it'd be the first to go. Once that was done, she quickly set the time and ran for cover.

She smirked, watching and listening. 'You don't join an underground organisation without learning a few things about dynamite.' She thought as she watched the place blow sky high.

Satisfied that her work was done, she ran as fast as she could away from the scene.

She now had to report in with Eugene. 'He'll no doubt be pleased with my work. This is one less pesky agent for us to worry about. If I'm lucky, I might even get the chance to take out the last one. He'll be easy. He's a soft touch.'

Pulling out her ten-speed from the shadows that she hid it in, she mounted it and headed straight for the building that they used as their headquarters. It would take her long, as she didn't have to travel up hill, or downhill. It was a flat section of land she rode over.

About twenty minutes later, she brought her bike to a skidding halt and dropping it haphazardly on the ground, not bothering to chain it up – it was a piece of crap anyway – she ran into the group headquarters. She made a beeline for Manley's office.

Knocking, she didn't wait for an answer and walked straight in.

She stopped dead in her tracks. That wasn't Manley who stood before her, leaning on the desk. It was someone else…

Narrowing her eyes, Kate scathingly bit out, "who the hell are you?"

"Ah, Kate McMaster… The one who was sent to kill Agent Marius Bartecelli… It's nice to see your face around here. You did a nice job to try and cover up your tracks, but, Manley had a GPS chip implanted on the base of your neck. It not only tracked you, but recorded information necessary to end your days here."

Kai took out his badge, and pulled down his hood. "Kai Schwartz, Interpol. You're under arrest for the first degree murder of Agent Marius Bartecelli." He moved swiftly and placed cuffs on her.

He had been thankful for the extra badge he had; this one was in his birth name. It had taken some convincing, but they had given it to him.

Kate bristled, and snarled, "Agent Anderson… It figures, it really does."

"Who said I'm Agent Anderson? I'm Agent Schwartz…" Kai replied, pushing back sandy brown hair from his face. He then kneed her in the stomach. "I do not take kindly to resistance."

At that point, three officers of the Tokyo police came rushing in. Kai held up his badge. "Kai Schwartz, Interpol. Kate McMaster is under arrest for the murder of Agent Marius Bartecelli. There is also an arson charge in there somewhere."

He gave the address and pulled up his hood.

The first of the three officers nodded and replied, "thank you for your swift work, Agent. We've been working to crack down on this division of the Yakuza. They were responsible for the deaths of some of the local Priests. With one in custody the rest will fall like dominos."

Kai paused for a minute then replied, "All of them are responsible, except for Yamato Michiko. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

He had decided to let her go because it became obvious to him that if he worked on her side briefly he'd get her loyalty, which meant one more of the Seishi on their side.

Nodding in reply, the officers escorted out Kate, as well as a handful of others who were on the premises and deemed a threat.

Michiko stood outside of the office as the police escorted out Kate and many others. She turned and peered in. Kai was standing with his back to the door, his hood back up. She hadn't been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of him, but, she had no need to turn him in now. She had thought of it, as she didn't want to go down, but, after hearing that he didn't place her under arrest, she decided then and there that if any of others tried to blame him for the deaths of Luke and Eugene, she'd counter that testimony.

Entering, Michiko walked over to Kai.

In a whisper quiet voice, she remarked, "Thank you, Agent Schwartz. I heard what you said. I know you didn't have to do that… It was nice."

"It has nothing to do with nice." Kai replied simply. "It is a matter of stopping this group entirely. They've got Tenkou almost released. He is free, but they have to free his powers. They've almost got them unsealed.

"But, I know you were only in because of Nylund. So, I am letting you go. You can do as you want."

Michiko knelt before him. "I'm joining your side. I never wanted what they were working for. You're right, I was only here because of Jakob, but after Manley ordered for him to be killed, I was lost and I didn't know where to turn. I stayed on board because it seemed about the only thing I could do, plus Kate was threatening to have me expelled from Jonan on the grounds that I had cheated on my entrance exams… I didn't want to risk losing all my work because if extortion…especially to something that isn't true!"

Kai thoughtfully gazed at her for a moment, gauging her motives as he scanned her chi, checking for sincerity. Even if someone was good at lying, their chi never lied. The only time this didn't work was when the person could project their chi in such a way that it could be undetected.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card and a pen. Quickly he wrote down the name and address of the only agent that was available; the only one not on a subvert operation or dead.

Putting his pen down, Kai held it out to Michiko. "Go here, and talk to Agent Jonathan Anderson. He'll let you know if we can help you and if you could be of assistance to us if you are looking to get protection from Tenkou when he looks to cull those who have betrayed him."

Standing up, Michiko accepted the business card from Kai. Her grey eyes quickly scanned it and she nodded. "Will he mind?"

"No…" Kai paused for a minute. He then removed his cloak, dropping it to the floor. "Michiko, Agent Anderson will be sceptical, but, tell him that Agent O'Kelly sent you…" His blue eyes flashed dangerously.

Michiko shuddered. This was the first time she had ever laid eyes on Kai, or rather Agent O'Kelly. He didn't look anything like she had expected.

She blinked and then asked, "Wait, didn't you say you were Agent Kai Schwartz?"

He nodded, smirking. "Yes… I also go by the name Shannon O'Kelly. Either way, both names are legal."

Michiko blinked dumbly and shook her head.

He had been staring at the laptop screen for the last six hours; now a total of seventy hours if one counted the last few days that he had been working away.

Even after all that time, he was still no closer to the truth, but rather a lot further than he had been, as he wound up stumbling on more information that he had counted on. He didn't think he'd have much work for him. He started working from the name Yui had quoted to him, Karl Kai Vandenberg-Schwartz. But, the name pointed to many other files; there was no direct entry for this person.

One of the searches he had done turned up one file for a guy of that name, but the age and place of origin didn't match. The guy was older than what Yui had quoted and the person lived in the United States of America. Jonathan knew he was looking for a German man about the same age as him and his late brother, maybe about a year older and from the city of München (Munich).

Yui sat beside him, watching.

Groaning, Jonathan held his head in frustration. "It's been a week and I can find nothing on that guy! I keep finding stuff for these other people and the only link I find that is closest is the name of Aliet Vandenberg-Schwartz, who has two kids, Kai and Albrecht…"

Yui patted him sympathetically.

"And what's more, the student file leads to their damned files! Kai's classified as 'unknown' under living or dead, and Albrecht is classified as missing. I can't find that is on the guy that keeps hanging around here! It's like he doesn't even exist!"

Yui pursed her lips. "Did you look at the related files?"

Jonathan gave her a dirty look. "Of course I did! And I came up with squat. The two files are link to the files for Padráig S. O'Kelly and Séamus O'Kelly, and once again, I run into dead ends! Padráig is listed as dead and Séamus has the same classification as Albrecht!"

"Why are you looking at those?"

"They are the only two files that match the bullshit that your 'friend' Kai has given us!"

Yui passed a cursory glance his way and pushed him. "Jonathan get up, give me the laptop! You've been staring mindlessly at that damned screen!"

He snorted. "And what do you know about hacking?"

She smirked. "You don't hang around Shannon without learning a few things about hacking…"

Jonathan returned the smirk then without warning pushed her down on the chesterfield. "Of course, you don't learn anything about how he feels, now do you?" he purred.

"Not now!" Yui cried out, still shocked that Shannon's brother had feelings for her.

She knew that deep within her, she was responding to his advances because he was a dead on clone of Shannon, right down to the sharpness of the blue in the eyes. Of course, there was also more to it than that… She knew she had feelings for him. But, they weren't a strong the ones she still retained for Shannon.

She pressed her hands against his chest. "I don't think…"

"What's wrong, you know how I feel. You haven't violently rejected me! Yui, you're holding back…" Jonathan whispered softly, his eyes sad.

"It's…it's not that. It's just that… It's painful because you and Shannon are identical and when I look at you, I see him. I can't help… I'm sorry…"

"Yui… Stop it! You've admitted to how you feel! Stop this… It's driving me mad… I…"

She raised a finger to his lips. "Jonathan, please don't put me in a position where I have to pick. I don't feel ready…"

He sighed. "I'm not making you pick… I just wish you'd stop living in denial. I know how you feel about Shannon… But damnit, I love you! You're driving me mad! Stop letting yourself be held back because of a phantom…"

Yui gazed away. "Don't make this hard for me, and stop pushing me…"

"Yui it's been over a month, almost two, please…just let me be close to you. I can't stand to see you hurting!" Jonathan whispered, his voice quivering. He was genuinely attracted to her; his feelings had changed the day he had seen the raw emotion she held for his brother and the lack of response on Shannon's part. At first it had been pity and sympathy because he also was getting nowhere. But somewhere along the line it changed.

"Jonathan I…"

She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence before he kissed her fiercely yet gently.

She couldn't explain it, but, after recovering from the initial shock, she gave into the advance.

The pair were oblivious to anything around them; they were unaware of anyone watching them…

Hidden in the foliage of the tree, Kai sat back, watching sadly. Two thin streams of tears falling from his eyes.

He buried his face in his hands and pulled his knees against his chest, wrapping the cloak around him. 'I should be happy that she isn't hurting… But, now… I'm hurting. I wish…I wish I had told her…'

He could only wonder why it hurt so much while it was his fault. 'I let her slip between my fingers…I'm such a pathetic being!'


	20. Chapter 20

Just As Long

**Just As Long**

_How the hell did we wind up like this?  
Why weren't we able?  
To see the signs that we missed  
try to turn the tables.  
Now the stories played out like this  
just like a paperback novel  
lets re-write an ending that fits  
instead of a Hollywood horror_

(_Someday_, The Long Road, Nickelback)

'Shannon…' Yui thoughts trailed offer as she savoured the deep sweet kiss. She didn't know why she was thinking it was Shannon when she knew it was Jonathan. She longed for the older twin. She also felt a flicker of feelings for the younger of the twins.

Their lips parted enough for her to whisper, "Shannon…"

Jonathan gasped as his eyes flew open. She was still thinking about his brother! He felt a dagger get driven straight through the core of his soul.

Pulling back, he blushed, a pale crimson red and sat back. "Sorry Yui… I don't know why I did that. I…I just was getting frustrated with trying to get you to understand my feelings. I really… I'm sorry…" He stammered.

Yui turned her ahead away. "I'm sorry, Jonathan. I tried to tell you… I mean, maybe if I have more time, it'll be easier. But, right now, it's too soon."

Stroking her face, he kissed her on the forehead and moved to the other side of the chesterfield.

Yui smiled sadly at him. Scooting over, she stroked his head. "I just need time… It's not you…"

Nodding, Jonathan refused to look into her eyes. 'Even when he's dead… I still have to live in his shadow….' He thought morosely.

Later the next day, after class, Yui took out Jonathan's laptop. She intended to do what she had tried to start yesterday, but got interrupted.

She wasn't as proficient as Jonathan or Shannon, but she had enough to be able to check through the files that were stored on the system.

It took her a while to find something new that Jonathan hadn't yet found…

For the next few hours, while Jonathan lounged on the chesterfield munching on a snack or two - which for most people meant a meal; but with a metabolism like his, who needed to worry about weight gain? The guy had an iron stomach and put Miaka to shame when it came to being able to put food away.

Yui plugged away working with the information Jonathan had already given her.

She wanted to check more into the files for the two men again – Jonathan had stumbled on them after working long hours and she didn't think he'd have a clear mind to analyse the data properly. She thought that maybe, just maybe she'd be able to find something that he didn't.

She opened a new search file and on a lark, entered data for Shannon, wondering just what she'd come up with…

She watched the data get parsed down the screen before it limited her match to a couple of files, one of them linked to a file Jonathan had dug up. Opening it, she started reading.

She noticed it was linked to the file for Padráig S. O'Kelly. 'How strange… Though it would make sense since this looks like a work file…and the other is a personal data file. Either way, it classifies him as 'unknown' and not dead…'

She turned to Jonathan. "What does the status of 'unknown' cover in your line of work in respect to living status?"

Jonathan gazed up from his position on the chesterfield. "It is used to cover AWOL, missing in action and classified statuses."

"Really? But, if someone is dead, why would they be classified as unknown?"

"They wouldn't."

"Then Jonathan, I think I have an answer for you… Look at this!" Yui said, pointing at the screen. She switched back to the file for Kai K. Schwartz. "If you look here, this guy has a mother by the name of Aliet Vandenberg-Schwartz, and his father is Karl Schwartz. The K in Kai's middle name is Karl… If you do some careful rearrangement, you get Karl Kai Vandenberg-Schwartz."

Jonathan continued and bit down on a chip.

"From here, there is a link to another file, for Padráig S. O'Kelly – however, without specifying a date in the search, there are two of them in the same family. There is a man and then his son, an adopted child, if you read his file. In both cases, the middle name is Shannon."

"So, you've figured out a little more than me… What's your point?" Jonathan asked.

"That in both cases, there are identical birthdates and they are both are given the living classification of 'unknown' and both are employed by the Interpol. Further… The brother, Albrecht is in both files classified as missing, however, there is a missing link…"

"What do you mean?" Jonathan replied, shoving a handful of broken chips in his mouth.

"The missing link will tell us who Kai really is; if he is indeed Shannon or if he is another person entirely…"

"But, Yui, I don't know how many times I have to say it, but I can't feel his chi. I have scanned Kai's chi and his chi is non-existent. The guy has no chi. Shannon could never do that with his chi as long as I have known him…"

She laughed. "How can someone have no chi?"

Jonathan snorted. "Don't ask me, but, Kai doesn't have one. I can't even detect the slightest trace of force from him. It's almost like he's dead."

"Well…damnit!" Yui exclaimed, hitting the keyboard, inadvertently hitting the return key. The cursor had been placed over the cryptic file name under Jonathan's job description.

She heard the laptop beep and then another screen came up. This was a whole other screen. "What the hell is this?"

"Oh, that's the case file that we were assigned. It lists those who are working on it, as well as the task specifics, as well as any progress." Jonathan explained, chomping down on a handful of chips. He then tipped the back up to salvage the crumbs from the bottom.

Reading through the list of agents assigned, she noticed it was divided into local agent and foreign specialists. She arched an eyebrow. "Jonathan…how many foreign agents were assigned to this?"

"There were four of us." Jonathan replied, tossing the bunched up empty bag of chips over his shoulder.

"Four, really? That's funny because it lists five…"

"Five?"

"Yes…"she nodded, and proceeded to read off the list. "Agent JT Tereshkova, KGB; Agent J Anderson, CIA; Agent M Bartecelli, **SISMI; Agent PS O'Kelly, Interpol; and Agent KK Vandenberg-Schwartz, Interpol." **

**"What? Since when did we have some fucking Kraut assigned to work with us?" Jonathan growled, not impressed that they were given a fifth agent.**

**"He was added after the deaths of Agent Tereshkova, O'Kelly and Bartecelli…" **

**"Does he have a file?"**

**"Yes…" Yui replied. Going to the file, she opened it after cursing very mildly about how this was not amusing.**

**"There is nothing here… It is very limited, ok…I was wrong, there is SOMETHING, but I can't read anything other than Japanese and English…"**

**Jonathan peered over her shoulder. "It's in Cyrillic…"**

**Taking the laptop, Jonathan scanned the message, realising it was written by the other agent assigned to the case.**

**_If you've found this file, let me be the first to congratulate you. Very few have been fortunate enough to actually find something on me, if any at all. Secondly, this following set of instructions is only for Agent Jonathan Anderson._**

**_Private Anderson, if you wish to learn more meet me over at the marina, specifically at pier one at sunset. I will be there, but the question is, will you find me before I find you? I suspect that it will no doubt turn into a cat and mouse chase – it'll be quite enthralling. I enjoy a good chase, short of that, a good fight._**

**_Oh, and one more thing, leave Yui at home. This is one thing she doesn't need to be around for. No sense in her getting in the way. After all, you never know who is lurking the corners these days. Even with the mastermind of the cult dead, and his accomplice in the same state, the brains of the operation is, still alive and kicking._**

**_No, I'm not saying anything will happen; I just do not want her to get in the way or hurt. If she is near the scene if something goes wrong. If she is here and she gets her, it will be solely your fault for not stopping her from following you._**

**Snarling, Jonathan passed the laptop back to Yui. "What an ass!" **

**"Why?"**

**"I don't know; he just is!" **

**He stood up and walked over ****to his desk. He pulled out two gun holsters. The first was his shoulder holster. It had two sheaths. The other was an angle holster. After securing both in place, Jonathan dug out his CIA dual-issued **Colt Gov't M1911 and placed on in each of the two holsters in the shoulder strap. He the ASP Pistol in the ankle holster and pulled his pant leg over it. Yui scowled. "Are the guns really necessary? And why three?" "You never know…" Yui gave him a very dirty look. She didn't approve of such things. When she had stayed over at Shannon's apartment, she had the same discussion with him, only it was over the fact that Shannon carried about half a dozen guns on him, as well as three machetes, two pen knives and a handful of ninja stars… "You never know? You'll run into a pack of wild vicious ghetto boys who might have a couple of knives between them?" Jonathan blinked and smirked. "This sounds rehearsed. Besides, Shannon always carried more than this! This is nothing. This is standard issue." She nodded, unimpressed. Wordlessly, he walked for the door, but stopped when she asked, "Where are you going?" "Schwartz put a message up for me to meet with him if I wanted more case information." Jonathan explained. Running over, Yui stepped right behind him. "I'm coming too!" "Fine… Only if you don't mind him killing me because you're there. He did leave specific instructions for you NOT to come. He made it very clear that he will kill me if you are there." Yui scowled and folded her arms. "I'm going to do what I want to, and no two-bit agents are going to tell me what to do!" Jonathan glared resentfully at her, and she giggled, kissing him softly on the lips. "Ok, I won't go. But, I won't forgive you if you're killed." She sighed, watching him leave. She had a strange ominous feeling overcome her as he left. She didn't like the feeling one bit. Something was going to happen and she couldn't shake the feeling one bit. She decided to follow Jonathan against his request. She had said she wouldn't, but she was curious and she knew that something might go wrong and she wanted a chance to make sure that he was hurt, or for that matter, anyone else she cared about. She watched at the window, making sure she could leave without Jonathan catching her. Once sure that he was a fair distance away, she fetched her keys and putting on her outdoor shoes, she locked the door and ran down to the bike rack. Unlocking her 10-speed racing bike, Yui mounted it, not caring that she was wearing her school uniform with a skirt that wasn't suited for bike riding. She the shortcut to the marina; it was simple – she had to take the dirt path along the rail tracks that ran behind her apartment complex. She knew Jonathan would be stupid enough to take the long way. She wanted to get there. She wanted to talk to Kai before Jonathan came around. About ten minutes later, she skidded to a stop, just feet from the place that Kai had indicated – Jonathan had been nice enough to read out the English translation of the Russian message, so she knew where she had to go. Dropping her bike, she ran towards the pale amber light that blanketed the area. The sun was setting over the marina, and the street lights were starting to spark to life. Stopping, she gazed around. She didn't see anything… Something behind her moved and swept her up into a pair of strong arms. She gasped and turned her heard around slightly to realise that it was Kai that was holding her. He smirked. "Even though I left explicit instructions for you to stay away, somehow I figured that you would show up. You were always the stubborn one, aren't you, Yui-san? You know, that even you aren't a cat; some times curiosity can still kill you. However…I can't kill such a beautiful creation of the Lord." He rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered, "Don't be in the light when Private Anderson arrives. I don't need him being skittish…" Bringing his left hand up, he cupped her chin in his hand and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Be careful. There are still people around who will try and hurt you. Don't worry, I will protect you. It is not my destiny, it is my desire." Nodding, Yui ran behind crates that were nearby and peered out. She spotted Jonathan coming from the opposite end and crouched down, making herself into a ball. She didn't want to be spotted. She knew he would be very unimpressed with her. Grumbling to himself about not being able to sense Kai's chi, Jonathan wandered into the vicinity and leaned against a street lamp pole. Folding his arms over his chest, he gazed around distastefully, wondering why he had even listened to this two-bit agent. He didn't like the guy one bit. They guy was the most useless addition to the case file since they had inherited two novice locals. 'He better not waste my time.' He thought bitterly. Seeming to emerge from the shadows, Kai walked out. "It's nice to that you decided to come out, Private Anderson. Don't worry; it will be worth your time. I have information that you will find valuable. I didn't want to post just in case there was a chance that McMaster got into the system." Jonathan arched an eyebrow. "But Terry McMaster is dead and Kate is…" "Kate is the brains of the operation. She was sent in as a decoy by Manley, who is the life force, and Campbell is the muscle. The others are the support line, with the majority of the support coming from Yamato Michiko, who was only working for them because of Nylund, who was killed by Campbell, who also slaughtered Terry McMaster." Jonathan stared in shock at Kai. This guy was no two-bit agent! He was good at getting information. Continuing, Kai added, "Now, you know how Marius and Josef had been hot on the trail for the two objects that were supposedly in Morioka, I'm sure you know that is how Josef got killed. I'm also going to assume that Marius informed you on how he got away… "And yes, it was a decoy trap set up by Luke Campbell, with the help of McMaster. She had set it so that they use the real ones. But, there was no way to defend against Campbell, especially once they walked into the trap. "Bartecelli and O'Kelly had an alternative plan in the event that something went wrong there…" Jonathan nodded and then his eyes narrowed. He decided to interrupt Kai at the moment when he was about to go into detail that Jonathan would have benefited from. "So, how do you know so much? And how the hell, do you have no chi, and yet are very alive?" Kai smirked. "I am able to work from the shadows. Because I have no real alliances, I can make my enemies believe that I am one of them." "So…you got this information? Anything else? You seemed to have made progress…where none of us had been able to." Kai nodded. "That's true. After a while of being around Manley, I decided that I didn't know how much I could take before I went postal on them, so in a demonstration of force, I killed Campbell, briefly earning his respect. "Campbell's skull was fun to crush; it imploded on itself. It was as simple as crushing a paper cup!" Kai's eyes gleamed manically, though hidden by his cloak, while with his right hand; he made the motion of crushing a paper cup. Jonathan's eyes widened. Marius and Josef had BOTH been powerless against Luke Campbell and yet, Kai who was working alone managed to kill the guy! His jaw dropped. "So you killed the muscle of the operation WITH Manley in the room?" Kai nodded. "Yep. It was fun too!" "And Manley just let you?" "Yeah, he didn't do anything about it, nor did he manage to do a thing when I gave him a taste of my core force. I was however, merciful on him. I made his death swift and just tore out his heart with my bare hand. I didn't have the time for him to writhe in pain. Of course, I also didn't want to risk the chance of him getting another body before his current one died." Jonathan shuddered. Killing was a regular part of his job, but it seemed to be even more to Kai. And it was very disturbing to listen him talk about killing his enemies. Yui, who was also hearing this, had to suppress the nausea she was feeling. She had no idea that a human could have such a cold approach to killing. She couldn't believe that the Kai who was so gentle to her could be so cruel… Kai smirked at Jonathan. "I thought that you would have been used to such things, especially since you have a brother who is an assassin." "Yes, but he didn't describe in excruciating detail each and every aspect of his kills!" Jonathan retorted angrily. "Aren't you in denial?" "No!" "Yes you are." "No, I'm not, and you're starting to piss me off!" "Oh, you mean it took me this long? I didn't realise you had been so tolerable of me!" Growling, Jonathan reached behind him and pulled out his flute. "I've had it with you and this damned lurking crap you do! Now, if you have the courage to face me, take off the damn thing, I will personally waste you!"

Being the cocky bastard he was, Kai smirked. He was used to the flute, and didn't think anything of it. He had always been able to ward off Jonathan's attacks. He didn't take into account that it was because they had always kept their chi on the same projection range. Kai had projected his into another range, which inexorably made him vulnerable to Jonathan's attack. "So, you think this flute will bring me down?" Jonathan grinned snidely. "Oh, an arrogant one, are you? Well, I have just the tune for you…" He raised the flute to his lips and picked the second harshest of his head-splitting melodies. A flicker of alarm crossed Kai's face as he felt Jonathan's chi penetrate him. He fell to his knees, clutching his skull. He squeeze his eyes shut, wondering why the music was affecting him when it never had before. "Fuck… What the hell are you doing differently?" Kai demanded, struggling against the music. Jonathan briefly lowered the flute; long enough to coolly remark, "Whatever do you mean? I'm not doing anything differently. My attack is always the same. You're just vulnerable because your chi isn't the compliment to mine." Growling, Kai thrust out his hand, the flute flying from Jonathan's hand to his. "Enough of your childish attacks!" He stood up, his eyes focusing on Jonathan, when he suddenly dropped the flute, allowing it to roll between them as it dawned on him. 'That's right, my chi has always been in the same range as his, thus making us immune to each others attacks, unless he was directly in the line of fire…' Acting quickly, Jonathan ran and swept up the flute in his hand, and resumed where he left off, promptly bringing Kai to his knees. 'Fuck! I have three choices, let him bust my skull, fight him after I take the flute or…' he shuddered at the last thought. 'Break his spell by projecting my chi back onto range with his. If I do that, I'll have a lot of explaining to do, but, if I do, it'll stop him from busting my skull open!' Yui wasn't able to see what was happening. She had been smart enough to close her eyes and cover her ears when she saw Jonathan take out the flute. It was the only defence that she knew. Thus, she didn't know that Kai was being brought to his knees because of this. If she had known, she would have rushed out to his defence to stop Jonathan from killing him. Then it dawned on Kai. 'If I take his flute, I can blind him long enough so that he doesn't know where it is and I can get down to business. I mean… FUCK! I do not feel like being killed by my brother because he is a fucking moron!' Standing up, he threw off his cloak, aiming it at Jonathan as he summoned the flute his way. It caused a brief moment of chaos, allowing Kai, or rather Shannon a chance to run over, and hand the flute to Yui without saying a thing. Because the light wasn't too bright, he looked dead on like Jonathan. She took it and held it close, as Shannon, who she thought to be Jonathan ran back into the confrontation. Cursing a blue storm, Jonathan untangled himself from the cloak, as Shannon moved around, quickly seeking cover. Briefly, Shannon landed in front of Jonathan as an incoming fishing ship sounded its horn, the front light brightly lit. When he moved, Jonathan got the cloak off him and blinked, crying out in surprise as he was met by the bright light of the ship. He raised his arms to block it, however, it wasn't a bright idea. It caused him to trip backward; his foot getting caught in the discarded cloak. Trying to move carefully around it, he avoided getting any more tangled up in it, only to twist his other ankle as it slipped off the edge of the pier. Jonathan thought about grabbing on, but his eyes caught site of a loose nail and decided to drop in; he could swim to shore, but then it hit him. With a twisted ankle, swimming with a severely twisted ankle, swimming would be hard. He tried to bring himself up to the surface of the water, but cried out in pain, thus in taking water… Yui emerged from behind the crates in time to see Jonathan slip off and for the other guy to come back. She couldn't see him clearly, but she could tell he was hesitating for a minute. At the same moment that it hit Jonathan, it hit Shannon – a twisted ankle. Well his ankle wasn't actually twisted; his brother's pain had been projected onto him. He didn't know if he should move or not. 'I did deceive him and hurt him…and Yui…' he reasoned morosely, but then snapped himself out of it, when he felt briefly short of breath. 'Fuck no!' Bolting from the shadows, he ran straight for the freezing cold waters of the marina and dove in head first as Yui watched in horror, unable to tell exactly who it was. He knew he could reach Jonathan. It was just a matter of seconds. Yui ran over to the edge and took the cloak in hand, staring out where both of them had gone. Anxiously she waited for my pair emerge... Pulling up above the surface of the water, Shannon groaned; this water was so cold! And of course, his brother had to be stupid enough to fall in. Swimming to the pier dock, he didn't notice that Yui had moved to where he was going. Leaning over, she called out, "let me help!" "You're going to actually pull him up?" Shannon remarked snickering, his tone very sarcastic. "Fine, don't let me stop you." "Good!" Yui replied, glaring at him, as she took Jonathan as he was passed up. Grabbing the edge, Shannon began to pull himself up, and unexpectedly, Yui took his hand. Unfortunately, because she didn't know that Kai was him, when she got a better glimpse of him, she yelped in surprise, letting go of his hand. Alas for Shannon, this was not good, as he didn't have a good foot hold on the pier dock yet and when she released him, he fell backward, dropping into the water. Floundering, he swam back up and upon breaking the surface of the water, cursed a blue storm. "FUCK! If you hated me so much, why didn't you just say so! Why the fuck are you trying to kill me? I don't need help in the trying department!" Yui just stared; she was shocked to say the least. Then, recovering from the shock, exclaimed, "Well, how I was I supposed to know!" Shannon glared at her. "I was going to explain it, but Jonathan is a moron and didn't let me explain why!" he retorted, as he climbed out of the water, this time with no help. She turned her back to him. "Why, Shannon, why?" "Like I said, I was going to explain it, but my brother decided he didn't want to hear what I had to hear! If he hadn't been so stupid, then maybe I could have explained why it happened!" "Then explain!" While they exchanged heated worded, Jonathan groaned, coughing up water, coming through. Blinking, he wiped the water from his face and sat up, shaking his head, hearing two people arguing. He didn't move – his ankle hurt like hell. But, he didn't have to move to hear them bickering. They did a good job of projecting their voices. After listening, it hit him – it was Shannon that Yui was arguing with and it had been him who had previously called himself Kai. It did explain a lot. As he listened, it hit him. He had broken the explanation by Shannon. It was true, Shannon had been about to tell Jonathan the truth when Jonathan had interrupted. Not saying anything, he just waited for them to stop bickering, or for Shannon to say something that explained everything… "Oh, you're going to let me?" "Stop being an asshole!" Yui folded her arms, staring sternly at Shannon, who had his gazed fixed steadily on hers. There was a long moment of silence before Shannon broke it and picked up the part that involved him and Marius working on a separate course of action. "Marius and I had an alternative plan in the event that something went wrong there… You see, he thought it was too easy that Campbell had given us the information. But, he went with Josef to Morioka. But, because they failed to acquire the last of the two Shinzahou, it meant that it had fallen into their hands. "The three, Josef, Marius and Jonathan all had lousy track records with trying to infiltrate the rank and file of the cult. This left me as the only one who could. "Manley wasn't used to my chi, or even knew I was a player in the case. In fact, no one seemed to; even know that I was around. This made me the only one who could get in and work to acquire insider information. "But, in order for it to work properly, we knew that we needed to do one thing – make us appear to be falling apart. As long as it looked like that, they wouldn't have suspected us as being able to get in on their plan. This is where Marius came into play. He used an illusion to cover me. "The illusion did work, however, I didn't trust him not to crack and tell the others, and so, I projected my chi onto another range. I had practiced it before. By doing so, I ripped my chi from my brother's, making it impossible for even him to detect me. "As long as no one could detect me, I could do what I needed to do without having to worry about them linking my chi to Jonathan's, and targeting you to get to me." Yui nodded and asked, "Then why did you hang around?" "I needed a safe way to pass on information, however, Jonathan as difficult and it became hard. I also had to protect the truth… After all, you never know who might've been listening." "A question…" "Hn?" Shannon grunted in reply. "What were those papers you took?" "Adoption, citizenship and birth certificates." He then took the cloak from Yui and extracted them from the pocket. "They belong to both me and Jonathan. And no, I kept two cloaks. I kept a spare that I stored my stuff in. This cloak I kept in a safe and the other had nothing it. I took it this one for today. "It doesn't just have the papers. It also has the two Shinzahou that Josef died trying to get. It took some careful planning. They always had guards there and surveillance cameras, as well as infrared sensors. The key to the latter two were on Manley. Once I killed him, I could release the two without being noticed. I could have done it without, but, I didn't want to make life difficult for myself." Taking out the two, he handed them to Yui. "However, just because you have them doesn't mean you're out of the red. You and Miaka will have to set up an altar at the graves of Byakko and Genbu no Miko. If you two work without their spirits, the summoning will be pointless. "Nyosei is already free. She isn't a god; she's a maijin working for Tenkou. If she unseals Tenkou's powers, being held back by the seal of Seiryuu, then any efforts on the part of you and Miaka will be futile." 


	21. Chapter 21

Now I know

**Now I know**

_Now I know why I hide my love  
From you some days  
No I don't mind_

_Keeping this bottled inside me  
You came along  
And tore this world out  
Around me  
Looks like You found me  
Now I know why  
I felt like shit when  
I woke up this morning_

(_Woke Up This Morning_, Silver Side Up, Nickelback)

She had received the business card two days ago, and she still hadn't acted on it. She didn't know if she was ready to face one of her previously perceived enemies. Even though Agent Schwartz had assured that Agent Anderson wouldn't turn on her, she was hesitant about going through with it.

Taking the card out again from her school uniform blazer, she stared at it again, a million thoughts running through her head as she gazed at the name and the address, wondering if she should go ahead and see this agent. She knew who Agent Schwartz, or O'Kelly, or whatever it was he called himself, was; he was the reincarnation of Suboshi. She pondered the possibility of the agent she was being sent to as also being a reincarnation.

"Should I, or shouldn't it?" she muttered out loud.

"Seduce the poor Anderson and drain his chi?" A snide and yet oddly familiar voice remarked.

Looking up, Michiko's eyes landed on Tamahome, or rather Sukanami Taka (who she hadn't yet met this time around). Her eyes narrowed. "I resent that."

Taka smiled friendly. "No, I'm just messing with your mind. Mind if I sit? I'm on break."

Shrugged, Michiko snorted. "Whatever. I don't care."

"If you don't have any plans to crispy fry me or seduce me, I'm sure we could get along fine… Even though you don't seem to like me…" Taka winked playfully.

Cracking a partial smile, Michiko felt herself ease up. He wasn't so bad. He seemed a lot more easy going that the last time she knew him.

Holding out her hand, she decided to be nice and at least introduce herself. "Since it's obvious we know who we were both and it feels weird calling each other by those names, why don't we start all over? I'm Yamato Michiko."

Taka chuckled. She seemed all right. He took her hand and replied, "I'm Sukanami Taka; though four, now one of my friends seemed to enjoy calling me Taka – even when I was lacking my memories."

Nodding, Michiko held out the business card to Taka. "Do you happen to know this guy? I was referred to him by Suboshi's reincarnation – I gave up on learning his name; it was some German polysyllabic piece of crap."

Taka blinked, and stared at her as if she was from another planet. "Uhm…did you just say that Suboshi's reincarnation is German and gave you this business card? Because that makes no sense, as Suboshi's reincarnation is the twin brother of Jonathan Anderson, and, he slit his wrists about a month and a while ago."

He then took the card and arched an eyebrow. "I know this scrawl anywhere, but, it doesn't make sense." He turned over the card. "And who is Agent Kai Schwartz? And you said it was Suboshi?"

Michiko nodded. "He was the only one who could have used the Ryuuseisui to kill Andy Won. Agent Bartecelli had been killed by Kate McMaster before Andy was killed, so, it wasn't an illusion."

Taka's eye twitched. This didn't make any sense. He had been there with Jonathan and Yui when they found the body of Shannon; Marius had arrived before them. Not even Jonathan could detect Shannon's chi. And if the Ryuuseisui was used, it would have meant that someone should have felt Shannon's chi, but none of them did.

"Are you sure that it is? This doesn't' make any sense…I mean, Shannon's chi is non-existent."

"Taka… Agent Schwartz's chi is non-existent. It was weird; it was like standing in a room taking to a dead man, and yet he was alive…" Michiko's eyes darkened over; creep out by the thought that someone was more skilled with chi control than Eugene Manley had been.

Pursing his lips, he gazed at the card. "Michiko-san, do you have a cell on you? I'm curious about something… I'm going to call Jonathan's place and see what he has to say about this. He might be able to help me. He still has his connection, or at least he did, with Suboshi – or rather Agent O'Kelly, or Schwartz, or whatever it is the name is…"

Passing over Motorola flip-phone to Taka, she asked, "Is Agent O'Kelly the twin brother of Anderson?"

"Identical twin." Taka replied, as he dialled the number for Jonathan's apartment. He then brought the earpiece to his ear, listening to the phone ring.

Michiko stared into her drink and then asked, "So, about two inches shy of six feet, very sharp and cold blue eyes, sandy brown hair…fair-skinned; European?"

"Sounds about right…" Taka arched an eyebrow at Michiko. The description seemed about right. He then turned his attention as the phone was answered.

"Hey Jonathan?"

Now, as Jonathan was out at class right now, Shannon had been the one who had answered and since he had been barely been about for a few minutes, he wasn't coherent. He wasn't even near comprehensible.

He grunted into the phone in Gaelic. "No, I'm not… He's in class."

Taka glared at the phone. "What the hell… Stop speaking in tongues and speak to me in Japanese, Anderson!"

"Me? I already said I wasn't!"

On Shannon's end, there was a female voice.

"Stop grunting! Speak in complete sentences, or give me the phone! GAH! You're useless! Go get your coffee and give me the phone!"

The girl, who was actually Yui, then took over the conversation. "Hello? Yui speaking."

"Yui?" Taka blinked. He then decided that speaking to her might be more productive than trying to deal with who he thought was Jonathan. "I need you to do me a favour…"

"Yeah, what is it, Taka? AND DON'T BRING THAT CRAP NEAR ME!! It stinks! Ugh, take it to your room! And DO NOT GRUNT AT ME!" She screamed, turning her mouth away from the phone, as she lectured Shannon, who had sat on the chesterfield, holding a very awful smelling cup of coffee.

He grunted in Gaelic; something about her being too pushy.

"And stop speaking to me in Gaelic! I'm not your brother!"

Taka stared in shock at the phone. He only knew one person who spoke Gaelic. He waited for Yui to calm down and speak to him.

"Hey, sorry about that, Taka. I just can't deal with Shannon in the morning. He is so difficult. He knows it too and still insists on speaking Gaelic. So, what can I help you with?"

"Actually, you just did…"

Yui pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. "What? How did I? I did nothing!"

"Screaming at Shannon helped."

She snickered. "That's it?"

"That and do you know where Jonathan is?"

"He's at the campus today. He has either class or rehearsal… I forget what though…"

Acknowledging her response, Taka excused himself and turned back to Michiko. He handed her back her cell phone. "Check the music department or the history club. He should be in either location."

Michiko put her cell back in her uniform blazer pocket and thanked Taka. She then winked at him. "I'll see you around. Don't worry; I won't seduce you this time. Though, Miaka does have a good man. And you have a good woman. Hold on to her. You're one of the lucky ones, Tama."

Taka smiled. He still didn't like being called Tama, but at least she was one of the nicer ones still.

"Ugh… What fucking morons…"

Taka looked up, just as Michiko went to say goodbye at the sound of a familiar voice. He nodded. "Let me guess, you don't like any of the people you have to perform with at the upcoming show?"

Jonathan snorted. "That's not even half of it."

Michiko arched an eyebrow. "So, which of the twins are you?"

Responding before Jonathan did, Taka replied, "this is the one you're looking for."

Nodding, Michiko grinned at him devilishly. "Looks like he filled out nicely…"

Jonathan felt himself blush from head to foot.

"Too bad him and his bratty twin got themselves killed in their previous life. They would have turned out nicely…" Michiko remarked, winking at Taka, who just rolled his eyes at her.

Swallowing hesitantly, Jonathan eyed her. "Aren't you one of the guys who killed my allies?"

"I was only "one of them' because of Jakob. But, since that dumb-ass Manley had him killed, I've been looking for a way out. And, besides, my allies wouldn't…" She snorted.

She paused for a moment then smirked. "The Yakuza doesn't give a flying shit about what the hell that fucked up cult is doing. In fact, when that damned maijin approached them, they practically ran him off the face of the earth…"

She then placed an arm around his shoulders. "Got any openings for someone who hates the cult as much as you do, if not more?"

Jonathan's eye twitched. Why was it that almost any time he got one of the Seishi on his side, they were almost always involved in an illicit life style? Marius had been the son of one of the heads of the Sicilian mafia, Josef had family ties to a Russian mafia, Shannon was in the IRA and now, Michiko (who he only knew as Soi) was confessing to be in the Yakuza…

"So, did your twin turn out as nicely as you did?" Michiko smirked. She enjoyed making Jonathan all flustered.

"SOI! What kind of question is that?!" Jonathan exclaimed. He really didn't like her boldness, or rather didn't know how to respond to that.

She smiled softly. "I'm just being friendly. By the way, my name is Yamato Michiko."

Taking her hand, he shook it. "I'm going to assume you already know my name since Shannon referred you to me…"

She nodded and then her expression grew sombre. "I'm a lousy warrior next to your brother, but, I would still like to help you guys. I have the kind of information that you need. And no, I have no need to betray you like Kate did. In fact, I hate what they're doing just as much you do, if not more."

She grabbed Jonathan's hand and pulled him away from the café, despite his loud and very vocal bellyaching about how he was hungry and he needed to eat or he's waste away from starvation.

Michiko rolled her eyes and ignored him. He was so stupid!

Coming to a stop, she pushed him into the tiny confinements of the history club room and closed the door.

"All right, I'll get to the point. I can't fight for shit. I can still control lightening, but, the others dance rings around me. Your brother is one hell of a fighter. Manley is almost as good as him… and the others…well, Richard and Juan Pedro are still underdeveloped and Kate has no fighting skills. But…"

Her eyes darkened. "The ones in the European chapter scare me. They are very powerful. They have developed their skills far along. I know I can't fight them because their individual chi's are overwhelming. I could fight them…but I'd die before I got a hit in. And then…their American counterparts are fairly developed. But, I couldn't get enough power to fight either group. That is why I need you and your brother – especially your brother."

Jonathan eyed her. "There are other chapters?"

"They are well-hidden. The two men who head them aren't warriors, but they are powerful in other ways. One is militaristically powerful and the other is politically powerful. And they have it in for you, your brother and Taka. They haven't been able to touch Taka, as due to his recent lack of chi activity, almost none of us found him. The only ones who were near him were your brother, you, the two girls and those who weren't amongst out ranks.

"Unfortunately, you two were in the line of fire from the two men…"

"The only way we could have been is if…" Jonathan began, interrupting Michiko. "Is…"

"If they were related to you… In the case of Shannon, he wasn't directly there, but when he travelled with his father, the other man took the chance to strike. In your case, you were slightly protected because of your adopted mother."

Jonathan blanched. "You mean one of the two is the colonel?"

"Colonel Thomas Anderson and the other is a parliamentarian, Karl Schwartz." Michiko replied, and added, "And what surprised me is that when I first spoke to Agent O'Kelly, that he willingly used his birth name, directly associating himself with Schwartz. It was a very clever ploy. Especially since, I remember Schwartz saying that the boy, who proved to be exceptionally skilled and strong, should have been on our side. He didn't want to kill him, but, when Tenkou came to them in his early years, he said to them that he had a problem – three people stood in his way of his resurrection; three reincarnations, two of which were demon spawn from a pre-marital relation that Schwartz had been involved in with…"

Jonathan nodded dumbly, not really getting what Michiko was saying.

"But what does this have to do with us exactly?"

"You were seen as 'demon spawn' because Tenkou convince them that you were born of the devil. Both thought of Tenkou as an image of God." Michiko replied.

Her eyes darkened. "They were both bent on getting power, and when Eugene came into the picture, he was able to get them to join him. Miboshi was nothing better than a minor devil. He could twist the hearts of men to do his bidding, as Eugene did. He had been taken in by Tenkou as a child after he had been orphaned as a child at eleven years old.

"He forged the union, the two men following him, and various other warriors joining him. Those who resisted the temptation were Josef Tereshkova, Marius Bartecelli, Sukanami Taka, you and your brother Shannon O'Kelly, were considered to be the spawn of the devil. You were viewed negatively for rejecting 'God'."

Jonathan nodded. But, if that was true, why didn't the colonel start alienating him until after his powers surfaced? He turned to Michiko. "How long ago did they unite?"

"Eugene was fifteen when they did. Tenkou had been with him when he met the two men at a Christian Revival Conference in…"

"Christian Revival…" Jonathan mused. "That's funny because the colonel was very anti-Christ. He kept us from having any kind of faith – you know, making us seem un-American."

"So, you knew he went?"

"I heard him tell mom." Jonathan replied. "So, I followed him as much as I could on bike. They were stupid and held it in LA, so I was able to get a small taste of it."

"So, Manley had Tenkou get him two men who craved power and would stop at nothing."

"How do you know all this?"

"C'mon, when you barely talk, it's amazing how much you learn."

Jonathan rolled his eyes.

"Hey, woman, what're you telling Paddy this for? He already knows this. Just because you were naïve to all of this, doesn't mean its news to the rest of us." A redheaded kid at the door snidely remarked. He spoke Japanese fluently, but he had a thick Irish accent on his spoken language.

Jonathan gazed over, and blinked. He had no idea who this kid was, and who the guy was that the kid was talking about.

Michiko glared at the boy. "Get out of here before I…"

"Before you what? Hit me with a dose of bitch lightening?" the kid smirked. He pushed one of the two thick strands of hair that hung at his temples behind his ears. The rest of his fiery red hair was tied in a pony tail at the top of his head.

He had the greenest eyes, and his smirk seemed to make his myriad of freckles dance mirthfully on his face.

"BITCH LIGHTENING?!" Michiko exclaimed indignantly, lightening crackling around her hand.

Jonathan arched an eyebrow. The kid definitely had a unique chi signature. But, who?

The kid, continued to smirk, but then squeaked as a hand landed at the base of his neck. He cringed, and he immediately switched into another language in order to reply to, "so, being a brat, eh, Brennan?"

"Ah… Paddy! Mercy! Have mercy! Oh God have mercy! Don't kill me! Soi with her bitch lightening will!" Brennan cried out.

Snorting, as a cruel smirk twisted across his lips, the guy who had been identified as 'Paddy' pushed Brennan into the room and followed.

He then added, "And punk, what did I tell you about calling me Paddy?"

Brennan rolled his eyes. "That I'm not supposed to unless I have a death wish." He replied in a flat monotone voice, and then snidely added, "But you won't because I'm the brains of the operation."

Growling, 'Paddy' or rather Shannon, hissed scathingly, "Didn't I tell you to keep your fucked sorry ass in Berlin? What the fuck are you doing in Tokyo?"

Brennan shrugged. "I thought I'd make sure you were doing your job!"

Growling, Shannon dropped kicked the kid.

Crying indignantly, Brennan fell to the floor, lying sprawled out, groaning in pain.

Michiko and Jonathan dumbly blinked and gazed from the kid to Shannon and back.

Finally, Jonathan spoke. "Uh…who is that, Shannon?"

"It's my worthless brother, Brennan."

"HA! At least I'm smarter than you!" Brennan called up from the floor.

"But you can't fight for shit. You couldn't fight for shit then and you can't fight for shit now!"

"Then and now?" Michiko asked, walking over to the boy who lay on the ground.

"Yeah, he's the real Chiriko. Kate McMaster is not. She is the demon, Nyosei. Yes, I let her go…"

Brennan sat up. "It was the master plan. I was keeping watch in Berlin, and I told him when he contacted me to let her go. We needed to lull them into a false sense of security."

Jonathan sputtered for a minute then angrily retorted, "but that judgement let Marius get killed!"

"So, you didn't tell them yet?" Brennan coyly commented, as he cast a sidelong glance at Shannon.

"I was saving my secret weapon until the big fight. He requested it. And his decoy was a very good actor…well, to a certain degree."

"Then why don't you? I mean, who here is really dead these days?"

"Tereshkova and Won."

"What about Manley?"

"He's likely not dead. But, that's where you come in." Shannon smirked nastily.

"SACRIFICE?? No way! Not again." Brennan exclaimed angrily, bristling.

Michiko looked to Jonathan, who shrugged. "No, I do NOT know what they are talking about." He replied with a sigh.

Nodding, she said, "you know, it seems your brother and his puny little brother know more about this than I do, and I thought I knew the whole story. It seems that if you want the rest of it, they are the ones to talk to. Though, I can safely tell you that there are other Seishi fighting for this meaningless cause. You will know them when you see them. They are the reincarnations of Byakko and Genbu Seishi. As far as I know, there are only five of them in total."

Pushing past Brennan, she called back over her shoulder. "I'll call you shortly! I have to get to class. I only had the morning off because I needed to see the doctor!"

Jonathan waved and rolled his eyes before he turned to Shannon and Brennan.

He gazed between the two and folded his arms. "So, how much haven't you told me?"

"Everything!" Brennan declared snidely.

Taking control of the situation, Shannon dropped kicked Brennan and then turned to Jonathan. "There is a lot, but, I did it because I needed to protect you. I can't tell you why here. We need somewhere a lot more private."

He stepped over Brennan who lay on the floor, whimpering and protectively clutching his ass. "And don't mind the brat. Let him lie there. He knows his place."

Jonathan nodded and stepped over Brennan's body, following his twin out.

_I have summoned you before me for a simple reason. You are both strong and you both hold the key to the safety of your world's future. Together with the other two shall you four fortify a future in which none of the evils that have filtered into your world from this shall ever take root._

_Now, I beseech you two – awaken!_

The voice echoed through the dark empty void, in which two spirits drifted side by side.

They were the teenage spirits of two girls. One glowed a soft green and the other a rich white.

They drifted to where the voice boomed from, demanding their presence.

Silently, they went before the owner of the voice, and knelt, their heads down.

The one who glowed white spoke first. "We have come, milord. How is it we can be of service to you?"

_You two shall be sent back to your world in your young forms. From there, you will seek out the other two girls who are much like you, and together fortify a spiritual alliance to open the portal and restore the gates. You will restore order and return the Four Gods to their posts, and vanquish the false god and his followers._

The one who glowed green replied, "But, how can we if the ones we are to summon have been sealed away?"

_I will have the power to free them one I have been summoned. I cannot leave my gate. Nor can I use my powers. For, if I was to use my powers, I fear that it would be the demise of this world and yours. I am the only being standing between order and chaos._

_You two are the earth and wind to the water and fire. Together, you four shall combine your latent powers and vanquish the devil and his hellcats into the nether regions of hell._

"But we have been dead for years, milord, how will we be able to?" the green spirit asked.

_I shall return you both to a proper body. The body will be immortal until after the summoning, at which point, you will have seventy-two hours before I return you to the eternity rest._

_Now, if you two have no more questions, you are both to close your eyes and concentrate. I will send you back to your birth world. You will be sent before one o the two other girls, who will _guide you and teach you about what must be done once you are there.

The two spirits closed their eyes.

They stood the same way they had when they had each performed the summoning the first time. They clasped their hands and bowed their heads; waiting for the one god that remained to return them to their birth world in order to save it from the future that awaited it should the late gate fall.

_Unto you both, I give you life. Now, go forth… You are the only hope._

Two lights shot up into the darkness.

The first light was a stream of white light. The second was the green light.

She stared at the mirror. She watched her reflection as it looked back at her.

'I can tell him how I feel. Why can't he do the same?' she wondered, as her fingers unconsciously touched her lips. She could still taste his sweet kiss. It lingered there.

Sighing, she stood up and walked from the bathroom, as she heard footsteps enter the room. Dashing out, she hoped he was back.

She stopped in her tracks as the two entered.

'Oh god no… Why both?' she thought dejectedly. She loved both and having both of them present in the room was hard enough without feeling like her heart was ripping in two. She loved them both; she knew she did, and it hurt so much knowing that she would have to pick between the two.

Attempting to mask her feelings, she smiled warmly at both. "Hey, how did it go? And I assume you found him, Shannon?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he decided to show up at the university. He insulted Michiko and acted like a general all-round brat. He will likely not be stopping here unless he wants another ass kicking." Shannon replied as he flopped on the chesterfield.

Jonathan folded his arms and walked over. "You said you wanted a more private spot to talk about it. It's not very private if Yui is here, is it?"

Shannon glared at him. "I didn't say I was going to talk right away."

Jonathan rolled his eyes and sat in the chair.

Yui blinked sweetly. "Look, I can leave the room if you really need privacy."

Shannon shook his head. "No, I'll tell him later."

Jonathan glared at him. "You are so difficult some times!"

"Oh, and like you're not?" he smirked, as he poked his twin in the shoulder.

Growling, Jonathan retorted. "Look, you're holding back on something important! You know more about what is going on than I do! It would be nice if for once you spoke instead of leaving me in the dark!"

"There is a reason I have to!"

"Oh yeah, and why is that?"

Yui bit her lip, as she watched them argue. She didn't know what they were arguing over, but, she didn't like it either way.

"I told you, it's to protect you!"

"That means nothing without an explanation!"

The twins both instantly stood up, taking on a defensive stance as they faced each other.

"I can't tell you right now! Just trust me on this, Jonathan! I told you it's to protect you and Yui! It's just better than you don't know right now."

"I have been left in the dark all my life! I am tired of those I love treating me like this!" Jonathan retorted angrily.

Pushing Jonathan back into the chair, Shannon placed his hands on either side of his brother. Putting his face right in his brother's face, whispered, "I told you, I do it before I care. Please, trust me. I'm not doing it to hurt you. I'm doing it because I don't want you to do anything stupid. It's bad enough one of us does stupid crap. And, I'd rather it be me than you."

He then stood up, and added, "I also do it because I don't want Yui to get hurt, because any time anyone I love gets too close me, winds up getting hurt, and I am tired of seeing those I love get hurt."


	22. Chapter 22

Still

**Still**

_Someone told me, love will not save us  
But how can that be?  
Look what love gave us  
A world full of killing  
And blood spilling  
That world never came _

(_Hero_, Spiderman ST, Chad Kroeger feat. Josey Scott)

Taking in a breath of air, Suzuno twirled around, her pleated skirt fluidly moving around her lithe body, as she gazed around. It felt good to have a young body back.

She turned her soft eyes in the direction of Brennan.

"Actually, no." Suzuno smiled slyly. "Takiko-san and I are resurrected."

He blinked perplexedly. "But…if you died, then…"

"Seiryuu was considerate and decided to give Takiko-san and I our bodies back. This is how we looked when we travelled over the dimensions of time and space to go into the world of Shijin Tenchisho." Suzuno explained, as she drank in her surroundings. In the many years she lived in Japan, she had never once travelled to Tokyo. She had spent her whole life in Tokyo.

It was enthralling to see her nation's capital.

She cast a glance over at Takiko. 'It'll be a culture shock for her. She died before the second war. She died before our Emperor was usurped by the Imperialist American Pigs. She died before the world became a global community. It would be like one of our Seishi coming here straight from the other world.'

She chuckled, amused by the thought of what would have happened if one of her Seishi had seen her world (as it had been in the 1930s).

Motion, Brennan held Takiko carefully. "Come with me. Miaka-san's house isn't far from here. She'll be co-operative. Yui-san is nice, but, my brother will hurt me because I still haven't left."

Nodding, Suzuno fell into stride behind Brennan, taking in the sight of Tokyo.

"Morioka is so quiet compared to this." She remarked, as she turned her eyes back to Brennan. "You're not Japanese. Where are you from? You're Irish aren't you?"

He smiled. "You're quick, aren't you?"

"Your accent is a pretty dead give away. That and you have a name that is characteristic of that race of people." Suzuno replied matter-of-factly. "Oh, and the bright red hair, the green eyes and those darling freckles also helped."

He glared at her. "I hate my freckles."

She smiled. "There is no reason to."

He shrugged. He didn't like them, and didn't know why he shouldn't hate them. They were a nuisance. They didn't do him any good. He thought they made him look too much like a wanker from the rural farmlands.

He stopped and with his free hand scratched his head. "Damnit…which way is Miaka-san's place? I wish I could remember and I don't want to go to my brother's house, and I'd go to Yui's but she always stays over with Paddy…" he muttered under his breathe.

He sighed. "Well, you will be telling your song and dance to Yui, or rather Seiryuu no Miko."

Suzuno nodded. "As long as it is one of the other two."

They shortly turned up at the apartment door step.

Knocking with his free hand, Brennan stepped back.

He blinked and tapped his foot. Didn't anyone answer the door these days?

He smirked. He was wearing steel-toed boots. Using this to his advantage, Brennan took aim, and carefully balancing Takiko in his arms, swung his leg back and then swung it forward, swiftly planting a kick right into the base of the door, with a resounding thud.

Suzuno blinked sweetly. "Are you sure anyone is home? Maybe we should come back later. We might disturb the neighbours. You are being awfully loud. And, was it necessary to kick the door? It doesn't seem very polite, especially since it's not your property."

Brennan felt his eye twitch. She sounded like someone's grandmother!

She gazed around and then rotated her eyes back to him. "I don't hear anyone coming. Plus, we are just visitors here and I'm sure the Landlord won't appreciate you making such noise."

"No…I feel Jonathan's chi… I can't say if Paddy is home…" Brennan retorted.

He kicked the door, and Suzuno cried out, "Stop that, O'Kelly-san! You're going to either break the door or hurt yourself!"

He went to retort, but the locked clicked.

He smirked. "I knew someone was…"

A very groggy Jonathan stood in the doorway, angrily glaring at Brennan. "What the fuck are you trying to do O'Kelly, wake the fucking dead?" He snarled scathingly.

"Great, thanks for answering! Take her!" Brennan completely ignored Jonathan and dropped Takiko's body into Jonathan's arms, unaware of the upper arm injury.

Crying out, pain lancing his body; the nerve sending a resonating electric pulse to his brain, at which point, he dropped Takiko and fell to his knees, clutching his arm, tears of physical anguish streaking his face, as he cursed a litany of obscenities.

Suzuno cried out, as Takiko fell to the ground. She tried to stop her friend from falling to the ground. Barely stopping Takiko, she turned to the man, and kneeling in front of him, placed a hand on his uninjured arm and softly inquired, "Are you ok? What happened?"

Hearing a soft voice laced with sincerity, Jonathan felt receptive to it. Responding in a whisper, he replied, I'm fine, don't worry about it. I just have a slight upper arm injury. I can't handle a sudden drop of weight into my arms without warning."

Suzuno nodded and gazed up at Brennan, glaring at him, her eyes dancing with fire. "For a Seishi, you are certainly a very inconsiderate…little boy! Your mother obviously forgot to teach you etiquette! I certainly hope your brother isn't an ill-mannered malcontent!"

Jonathan sniggered. He enjoyed listening to people insult Brennan.

"My mother didn't teach him manners because she died when he was an infant and I sincerely hope your mother taught you to hold your tongue!"

Suzuno's eyes shot up at the sound of a new voice. Her eyes lay sight on a man who was a drop dead carbon copy of the one who answered the door.

She opened her mouth to retort, but, he entered the room and spoke before she had a chance.

"I would hold your tongue, woman. Don't speak of ill-mannered malcontents until you have looked into the mirror." Shannon hissed scathingly.

"All right, Paddy! Tell her!"

He glared daggers at his little brother. Migrating back to Gaelic from Japanese, he bit out, "What the hell are you doing here, fucktard? Didn't I tell you to get the fucking hell back to Berlin?"

He raised a fist and Brennan instantly cowered. "Paddy, you're such a fucking bully!"

"I'll show you bully!" Shannon seized Brennan by the collar. "You seem to have forgotten all the manners Patrick taught you! For one, don't go kicking my door and actually expect me to answer! Second, don't hurt my brother, dumbfuck!"

He drove his knee into Brennan's gut, and dropped him to the ground. Once Brennan was lying on the ground, Shannon kicked his younger (adopted/step) brother in the stomach.

Brennan curled into a foetal position, sobbing. He hated it when Shannon got pissed off. It always meant that he got hurt! Then again, he wasn't exactly innocent.

Suzuno's jaw dropped. She then instantly recovered and folded her arms, sternly regarding Shannon. "That is hardly any way to treat your brother."

"Look here, you two-bit twat, you don't waltz into someone else's house and start barking out orders! You can either hold your tongue, or I will show you the door!" Shannon brandished a finger at her and then aggressively pointed to the door.

Hissing at her, he brushed by her and helped Jonathan help.

Once he took care of his twin, he looked back to the other girl, and then to Suzuno. "You know, if you're concerned about my dumb half-wit brother, you could show more compassion for your friend here." He suggested derisively, picking up Takiko from the floor effortlessly.

He relocated her to a chair.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he cast a gaze at the girl with the braids. "State your business."

"I'm here to speak to Yui."

"I know her friends and I don't remember you."

"Of course not, I'm before your time."

Shannon arched an amused eyebrow and Jonathan laughed uproariously at her.

Placing her hands on her hips, Suzuno glared at them. "I fail to see what is so funny!"

"The fact that you said…" Jonathan gaffed, as he slapped his brother on the back, as the two proceeded to resume laugh their asses off at her.

Huffing indignantly, she snorted derisively.

Shannon smirked. "Seriously, I'd tell you, but, it'd just mess with your head."

At that moment, a scantly clad Yui sauntered in. She was wearing a skin tight spaghetti-strap tank top that stop midriff and cut off shorts that were very short, thus displaying her shapely legs.

She eyed Suzuno and turned to the twins. "What was all the noise?"

"Them!" the brothers pointed to Suzuno, Takiko and Brennan.

Yui's eyes did a cursory scan of Suzuno. She cocked an eyebrow at the girl, "Interesting and very outdated school uniform. I didn't know that they still made girls from outside of Tokyo wear those ungodly things. It looks like it's from World War two."

Glaring at her, Suzuno bristled. "At least my skirt isn't scan enough to give the boys a view of what lies beneath."

"Suzuno-chan, there is no need to be hostile." The soft spoken Takiko said, as she opened her eyes looking up. She had regained consciousness as Yui and Suzuno began to speak.

"Takiko-san…" Suzuno turned to her friend and bowed. "Sorry…"

Takiko raised a hand. "There is no need apologise." She then looked to Yui, her grey eyes carefully studying the blond girl. "Seiryuu no Miko, I presume?"

Yui blinked, staring at the girl in shock. "How…how did you know?"

Smiling deviously, a twinkle in her eye, Takiko replied, "It was just a lucky guess." Her eyes shifted to the twins. "You two are reincarnated Seiryuu Seishi, right?"

The twins nodded numbly.

Motioning for Suzuno to sit, Takiko stood up and bowed to Yui. "Forgive my rudeness. I should have introduced myself first. I'm Okuda Takiko, Genbu no Miko…"

She laughed softly, adding quickly, "Oh and I can see you're puzzled. It's very simple; Seiryuu resurrected us and sent us to find you and Suzaku no Miko. He feels that it would make yours and Suzaku no Miko's job a lot easier."

She motioned gracefully in Suzuno's direction. "She is Oosugi Suzuno, Byakko no Miko."

Yui blinked thrice quickly and hastily bowed. "Nice to meet you, Takiko-san. Yes, I am Seiryuu no Miko, or rather Hongou Yui. The twins are Suboshi and Amiboshi; respectfully O'Kelly Shannon and Anderson Jonathan."

Shannon shrugged and Jonathan looked either very bored or irritated – he hadn't quite figured out which.

Takiko's expression grew sombre. "Yui, we were sent because Seiryuu feels that you and Suzaku no Miko will be unable to fully seal away Tenkou, Nyosei and restore the gates between the two worlds. He knows you two are strong, but he doesn't want to take a chance."

Yui nodded. "That's not a problem. We do have warriors on our side. There is a handful that do not believe in Tenkou's vacuous promises. They will sink into his void of lies and deceit."

Takiko listened and replied thoughtfully. "He is nothing less than a maijin. He tried to use his powers when I summoned Genbu. He tried the same when Suzuno-chan had her turn, and it seems he still hasn't given up."

She paused. "And he seems to have come easily into this world, which means that maybe the presence of the Seishi have made it easier for him to migrate over."

Yui shook her head. "I thought he found the book and then willingly drowned himself in the dark arts, surrendering his soul to the devil? So, if he was from this world, wouldn't it make sense that even if he is sealed away there, he can still come here if he is unsealed?"

Takiko shrugged. "I don't know, but, either way, we need to take whatever measures are necessary to preserve both worlds, even if it means locking the Seishi out."

Shannon's eyes darkened. "Count me out. I will not be fighting for this."

He turned his back on everything and left the room.

Jonathan looked around. He wondered why his brother made such a sudden declaration, but then his eyes landed on the badge that was still on the table. It had been thrown there earlier by Shannon.

His expression clouded over with concern. 'He made it clear he fights for Yui, so why would he say he's no longer fighting for this? He must have a good reason. If he goes, I go!'

He picked his brother's badge up. "Count me out as well. If Shannon isn't fighting now, neither am I."

Yui's brow furrowed in concern; she didn't like the way things were turning out.

She turned to Takiko, "are you sure there isn't another way? Because, Shannon would never purposefully work against me, unless he disagreed with the fundamental reasoning with the plan."

Takiko shook her head. "If we are going to do this, we have to completely seal everything away."

Yui sighed, her eyes trailing after where the twins went. "Obviously you've never been in love. If you were, you'd understand why. Yes, I know I love the part that was my Seishi, but, without that part, it would feel incomplete.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do it either. Go find Miaka."

She too left the room.

Snorting derisively, Suzuno remarked, "Diplomacy is wasted on the Seiryuu Seishi and Miko. They have no interest in peace. I think we should leave and seek out Suzaku no Miko. She'll be willing to listen to us."

Takiko exhaled sadly. "You're right, Suzuno-chan, let's go."

Groaning, Brennan stood up, cautiously regarding them. "You know, I am a Suzaku Seishi, and I would have to say I disagree. Suzaku no Miko will not agree any more than Seiryuu no Miko did. Suzaku no Miko is in love with Tamahome, who is also reincarnated."

He smirked. "And Suzuno wouldn't agree to it if it meant that Tatara wouldn't remember her…"

He paused and added, "Tatara is also reincarnated and he has his memories. So, you know, Suzuno, if you found him, I'm sure you would find yourself sympathising with Yui."

Suzuno peered in closely at Brennan. "Tatara's been reincarnated?"

Nodding, Brennan replied, "Yeah, he is. He's a pawn of the dark side."

He couldn't tell if Suzuno was sad because Tatara wasn't on her side, or if he was sad because her heart was heavy with a longing. He remembered the tale of how they had been forced to separate, and how Byakko had denied them their wish.

Two figures stood in a room that was luminous with a soft ominous violent light that shone through floating balls of spiritual life forces and resonating columns of dead climbing ivy.

The first was a girl. She let her hair down. "I'm sorry, milord. But, I didn't count on any of them knowing who I was. I hadn't counted on that one agent to produce the real Chiriko. It seemed to be the cover I should use."

The tall male figure, who, was cloaked in an elegant black gown, with very fine delicate gold trim at the bosom, with a jewel situated there, turned to her. He had long lush silver hair that nearly touched the floor.

He reached out a finely manicured hand, with slender long fingers, with graceful nails, and touched her on the head, his fingers weaving gently through her head. "My dear, Nyosei, no one has ever counted on the twisted mind of the human to follow everything to a T. They are deviants amongst them who inadvertently thwart the best laid plans. We can now just play by their rules. They wish to use their hard hitters, then so shall we."

A cold twisted grin caressed his pale face, "It seems that Seiryuu has been undetected so far and has been able to slip through our grasp. He has resurrected Byakko and Genbu no Miko. Though, this will work to our advantage."

Turning intrigued eyes to him, she purred, "oh and how is that?"

"The dearly beloved of Byakko no Miko is one of our loyal servants. He'll do our bidding accordingly."

Nyosei arched a thin eyebrow at him. "Don't you worry that he'll be easily seduced by her, especially if he has his past memories? Tatara was after all, in love with Byakko no Miko. The power of seduction would work in her favour. Women have a certain amount of power over men. Humans are weak beings; men are particularly weak in front of women. If she moves her body right and winks, he's putty in her hands."

"My dear, Nyosei, that is why we extract the memories that would work against us and subject him to a touch of propaganda. He needs a nice kind reminder of what we have done for him." the Lord whispered, leaning in, his lips near touching Nyosei's ear.

Tilting her head, a thoughtful expression caressed her expression. "You are perhaps right, milord. I shouldn't second guess your logic, though, it is always wise to exam the big picture and not the minuet details."

"Very good, dear Nyosei." Tenkou whispered softly against her ear. Stroking his hand across the soft skin of her face, he added, "Summon Aaron Yorck, and inform the lad of his mission. You may make any necessary amendments. If he proves to be trouble, I'll deal with him."

Nodding, Nyosei bowed out and vanished into thin air.

"It's quiet around here."

"Too quiet…"

"I wanna kick O'Kelly ass and I don't care which one of those two's asses it is!"

The first two rolled their eyes.

Their silver-haired friend, who as much as he was a skirt chaser, was a great fighter, but his lust for blood often got him into trouble.

The girl, with similar coloured hair, touched her lips to his. "I'm sure we will soon. We'll have top be patient. Besides, the last time you wanted to, you wound up in the hospital in critical condition. You have to take note of which O'Kelly it is you want to fight. The younger of the two brothers can't really fight. The older one is a dangerous one."

"Then we should find the elder one. Manley has been around too much lately…and his spirit is getting really bothersome." The chocolate-brown haired young man remarked, as he swatted away a ball of spiritual energy.

The girl paused. "But, according to our sources, did he do us a favour and die?"

"I've heard contradicting information, but, I think they are mistaking him for that Anderson kid, who is also a thorn in our sides these days."

"Either way, you have better things to worry about."

Nyosei materialised in the room. She pointed at the brown-haired young man. "Tatara, you are needed for a mission."

Tatara, or rather Aaron Yorck, gazed up and nodded. "Yes, milady?"

"Lord Tenkou wishes for you to be our first line of defence against the newest threat."

He nodded, and waited for her to continue.

"Seiryuu has taken the liberation of slipping through our fingers, like the slippery lizard he is, and resurrected Genbu and Byakko no Miko so that they can work with Seiryuu and Suzaku no Miko, and circumvent our best laid plans. They have no concern for your desires and motives. The two girls that have been resurrected have been stripped of all memories, except for the ones that the need in order to perform the summoning. Byakko no Miko has no memories of you." Nyosei purred icily, as she touched a hand to Aaron's face.

His eyes at lit up at the mention of Byakko no Miko; Suzuno his beloved. He had reincarnated, only to find out that she had died two years of old age and he didn't even have a chance to find her in order to see her one last time. To know that she was resurrected, made his heart soar.

But, then his spirits were dampened at the mention that she would not remember him and that any knowledge she had about their love would be forever gone. Seiryuu was a cold god. Then again, he was the god of war, so anything to make sure the job was done, even at the expense of one's love.

'So, when she sees me, she'll remember nothing. This is killing me inside. She'll just look at me like I'm a freak and won't remember the love we once shared. I still feel her embrace, and she'll feel nothing…' Aaron thought morosely, his melancholy quickly transforming into self-pitying bitter cynicism.

He turned his gaze to Nyosei. "So, where will I find them?"

She smiled coldly. 'Excellent. He is very malleable.'

"Go to Tokyo. Once you track down one of the Seishi, you'll find the girls, and from there, you can take the necessary course of action to prevent them from being able to destroy your vision of a better world, that we all share."

After a lot of begging, Brennan managed to get Yui to tell him where Miaka's house was.

Yui hadn't been keen on telling him because she knew Miaka was weak in this respect and would likely be giving in to what Suzuno and Takiko were requesting, even if it meant losing the other side of Taka. Of course, for Miaka it wasn't a big deal because she met Taka before Taka knew he was Tamahome, so it wouldn't be different.

Yui however, she had met Shannon after he had regained memories, and to her it was a chance to right her previous wrong and have someone to hold her… Someone to love her.

She loved him, and knew that she loved both halves of his soul. She knew she would die inside if he lost half of his soul. Little did she know that that would truly be the case if Suzuno was to get her way…

Yui had been envious of Miaka for that reason. She had never told her friend.

To protect her deepest secret desire, she deliberately made the task hard for Takiko and Suzuno.

Sighing, Brennan gazed at the piece of paper that Yui had scrawled down the address on.

'My god, she is the most difficult girl I have ever dealt with! She is so bloody obstinate! No wonder Paddy loves her!' Brennan reasoned, chuckling, as he took a short cut past the tracks that went behind the apartment.

The trio travelled wordlessly, unaware that they were about to cross paths with his worse enemy.

In the near-distance, lurked Aaron Yorck. He had decided to stay off the main streets for a while. He needed to plan his attack and where he would set his trap in order to lure the Seishi into.

Little did he know he would cross paths one such Seishi.

He paused, feeling a twinge. 'A chi…?' he thought, his eyes scrutinising the vicinity.

'Well, what do you know… It's one of those O'Kelly brats! And it's the one that can't kill me.'

He slipped into the bush and peered out. "And he has two girls with him. One of which is Byakko no Miko. I can only assume that by the dress of the other, that she is Genbu no Miko. This is just too easy. Either way, let's just tale advantage of this…'

He removed a seed from what appeared to be a rosary-like object. He held it out and formed a vein, making a climbing ivy trap. The only thing that made his ivy different was that he liked to use thorns on his.

"Oh shit!" Brennan cursed, as he skidded to a stop, just feet from the ivy.

"What is that?" Suzuno asked.

Blinking, Takiko reached out. "Oh dear… It looks impassable unless we have a knife or sword to slice through it."

"Quit whining about the vines! I'm not worried about that! Goddamnit, show yourself, Yorck!" Brennan exclaimed angrily, switching out of Japanese.

"You are sharp. Very perceptive. How long did it take you to figure out that I was around here? You are truly the more pathetic of the O'Kelly brothers. At least your brother puts up a good fight." Aaron remarked coldly, addressing Brennan in German.

Brennan moved in front of the girls. "If you want a good fight, do fight Paddy! I have better things to do than fight you, Yorck!"

"Tatara…" Suzuno whispered. Her voice however didn't carry far, so Aaron failed to hear her.

Snorting derisively, Aaron replied, "I would much rather fight you. I don't have a death wish right now. Besides, with you dead, it'll make the fight between me and your brother much more interesting.

"Besides, you're standing between me and my task. Hand over the girls and I will merely send you into a nice coma. Remember the last time we fought, do you? Remember that coma? I can be nice and do the same thing. I don't much care to traumatise the ladies, but if you don't comply, they will have to witness bloodshed."

"You really love the sound of your voice, don't you? You just don't know when to shut up." Brennan retorted gleefully.

"I don't have time for infantile delay tactics." Aaron hissed scathingly. He took his vine in his hand, and whipped it at Brennan, who couldn't move quickly to dodge it.

He suppressed a cry of anguish as those thorns cut into his skin.

He hated fighting any of the Seishi. He was poorly equipped. Suzaku has screwed him over! What use was intelligence when you couldn't outwit your foes?

He reached into his jacket, and pulled out his first and only line of defence – a hand gun.

He fired on Aaron, who used the vines to deflect the bullets and disarm Brennan.

"Tsk… So the child wants to play it rough? This will make things interesting…" Aaron purred nastily, as Brennan seethed angrily at being disarmed so easily.

Not having time or the patience to fight clean, Aaron sent his vines to tear Brennan to shreds.

Crying, Brennan, in vain, attempted to fight off the vines, but was on the losing end, as the thorns ate violently through his flesh, eventually leaving him dead.

He dropped to the ground with a dull thud, lying in a growing cesspool of his own blood, as the thorny vines circled above him, a gleeful maniacal grin dancing over his lips, as he regarded the dead form of Brennan.

'One O'Kelly down, one to go. Too bad it was the other one. Schwartz would up my status, giving me more power than anyone else. After all, who has yet to lay a hand on O'Kelly and live to tell about it?'

Turning to the girls, Aaron took out another seed and made two sets of rope from his vines and tied Suzuno's then Takiko's hands together and motioned for them to walk. He had the perfect location. Now it was just a matter of getting his rival to fall into his trap.

"What? Why are you doing this?" Suzuno cried out, when he had put the vines around her wrists. She was even more confused when he forced her and Takiko to go a hidden abandoned rail yard.

She went to speak, but soon realised that he didn't speak Japanese, and she spoke nothing but Japanese, which created a language barrier problem.

Takiko just complied. She knew it was futile to fight back.

'This was a little easy; almost too easy.' Aaron thought as he pointed the girls to where he wanted them to sit. It seemed like it was a trap. 'But, if it is a trap, why am I not being ambushed? Was it really this easy?'

He smirked and cupped Suzuno's chin in his hand. "You're a foolish girl. If you hadn't volunteered yourself to Seiryuu, you wouldn't be here right now. But, yet you are, and stripped of all but necessary memories."

Suzuno's eyes narrowed. She listened carefully, trying to figure out what language it was. It sounded like German. 'Even though I know what language it is, it doesn't help me.'

Despite the language barrier, she decided to attempt to get through to him. "Why are you doing this, Tatara? This isn't the you I remember. You and I once shared a great love, which Byakko couldn't allow. Have you forgotten already?"

He snorted derisively. So she knew his name, - who cares!

He turned his back to her. He had better things to do other than listen to some language he didn't understand.


	23. Chapter 23

Sinners and Saints

**Breathless**

_Out in the back  
In the old corn field  
Underneath the tractor wheel  
Thought I'd dig  
Till I'd found it first  
Broke my back  
And died of thirst  
You can bribe the devil  
You can pray to God  
You can sell off  
Everything you got  
And you still won't know _

(_Good Times Gone_, Silver Side Up, Nickelback)

Yui watched him lean in closely to Jonathan. She could make out most of what he was saying. She didn't know what to think. He had always seemed so cold, aloof, though that didn't stop her from loving him. And yet now he seemed so different.

What came next, nearly took her breath away.

Shannon touched a hand to his brother's face then stood up. His eyes shifted to Yui. "I also do it because I don't want Yui to get hurt, because any time anyone I love gets too close me, winds up getting hurt, and I am tired of seeing those I love get hurt."

She did the only thing she could think of. She threw herself at him, embracing him from behind, burying her face against his back.

Shannon blinked as she threw her arms around him.

At the same moment, jealousy flickered in Jonathan's eyes. He thought and believed that he had a chance to hold Yui the way he had the time when he let Suboshi borrow his body, and now, his twin who had been the one who had been an asshole throughout all this was the one that she wanted; the one she desired.

He closed his eyes and stood up, hot stinging tears burning underneath his eyes lids.

He mumbled something about excusing himself.

He left the room without saying anything more, or stopping to listen to what either of them had to say.

He immediately locked the door of his room, and fell onto his bed, lying on his back.

He hadn't been out right rejected, but, the way Yui responded to his brother made it no different.

'This is killing me! First it was the way Yui looked at my brother that drove me insane, and now, he's responding to her, which is also driving me insane! Why did I have to love both of them? Why couldn't I just have normal feelings? I hate this! I hate this!' Jonathan thought bitterly, placing a pillow over his head and screaming into it.

He then heard something click and groaned. 'Of course, what the hell good is a lock when your brother is a fucking telekinetic?'

He didn't look up until Shannon dropped onto the bed and took the pillow from him and then growled into it, cursing a blue storm.

Turning onto his side, Jonathan peered at his brother. "And what the hell is your problem? You won! Yui is yours! I won't stand in your damned way!'

He sat up.

Growling, Shannon turned his head to the side and glared at Jonathan. "For your information, I'm beginning to regret that I ever told her! Now she knows and she'll try and get close to me! And right now, I can't have that!"

"You're such a fucking cold hearted asshole!" Jonathan snarled as he hit his brother on the back of the head. "You're fucking selfish and you're going to hurt her!"

Sitting up, Shannon returned the glare. "Yes I have to! Because if she gets close to me, she'll wind up dying! It's bad enough your ass is on the line! I don't need to worry about Schwartz and Anderson wanting to use her as bait to get to me! Yes, Anderson used you to get back at me. It was bad enough when that happened. I don't feel like watching something happen to Yui because she got too close to me!"

"Why would she be used as bait?" Jonathan retorted scathingly, seeing red.

"Because when I was fourteen I knew about the Christian Revival conference involving the three, because Schwartz came to me and told me that Eugene Manley wanted me to come board. I told him to fuck off, and then when I encountered Anderson, I fucked around with his mind and then got away with surviving his twisted plan, which backfired on him and it resulted you getting sent over to hell's half acre! You only survived because I put my ass on the line for you!"

Jonathan paled. He felt like ice cold water had been poured over him. He just stared in shock at Shannon. He hadn't been able to put two and two together about it until now.

Pushing his twin down, Shannon placed his hands on Jonathan's shoulders, holding him in place.

He softly kissed his twin, and bringing his lips apart from his brother's, he whispered, "I do what I do because I love you. I don't keep you in the dark to hurt you. I do it to protect you. It kills me inside when you're in pain. It kills me inside when Yui is hurting."

Jonathan blinked dumbly at his brother. Either way, he still didn't like this!

He pushed his brother away and sat up. Sighing morosely, he gazed over at the glowing neon green digits on his alarm clock. It wasn't that late in the day; of course, it wasn't that he cared about time. It was irrelevant. They kept racing against the clock and nothing had been accomplished.

He turned to Shannon. "I'm also in this, but, yet, I only know what I've discovered. I feel useless. Hell, I'm going to hand it over, because, you know what, you're the only one who seemed to be functioning here. Josef and Marius got themselves killed in the pursuit of information and no matter how many steps I go forward, I only get thrown back to square one."

Reaching over, Jonathan picked up his badge, and sighed. "I was only doing this because I hated my father, but, without the same amount of information that you have, I feel like I'm not contributing."

Shannon frowned, scowling slightly. "But you already know everything you need to! If you're talking about me withholding details about the past that have some relation to this, then yes, you are not in the know."

Standing up, he glared at his twin and angrily spat. "See? This is what I'm talking about! You don't seem to think it's a big deal, but, you know what, it is! Just because I have current information, doesn't mean if you're going to be an asshole and not tell me the rest, Shannon! You almost seem intent on setting this case back!"

"That's because I was drafted into the Interpol because they decided that it was better to have me work for them rather than try and lock me up. They decided to make a bargain with me."

Jonathan arched an eyebrow. "What bargain?"

"Oh, one of the guys working on the bombing case realised what skills I had and decided that there was no point in locking up a telekinetic terrorist because I could get out and hack my files and get off the hook, and so, made me a deal. In exchange for working on this case, they'd drop all charges against me."

"What charges?"

"Terrorism charges… I bombed an office in Manchester, tainted the water supply in Liverpool and caused general havoc… Want the rest of it? This is just the start. This excludes the murder charges and other criminal charges."

Jonathan glared at his brother. 'And I thought I got off easy with the CIA. This is insane!'

"And they didn't make me turn in my arsenal or become an informant. So, I still have status in the provisional IRA."

"So, not only do I not have any other agents, but I now have to deal with the fact that you're a terrorist assigned because they couldn't get anyone better?"

"Terrorist is such a harsh word… I prefer mercenary."

"That explains why there are never any reports from you and why you never follow procedure."

Shannon nodded.

"Then why are you even bothering to do anything if you know you're not helping?"

"Because, I already told you. I don't want anything to happen to you." Shannon growled, pinning Jonathan to the bed. He added, "I was prepared to do military service until I got the details. I only joined up to protect you and Yui."

"You, you in the military? But you don't take orders!"

"I'm in a militia. So, I have to be able to take some orders."

Jonathan sighed, a slight growl of disapproval resonated in his throat.

Smirking, Shannon gazed intently at his twin, his eyes glittering mischievously. He nuzzled his twin's neck. "You're cute when you're angry."

Jonathan glared at his twin and pushed him away. "Get off me. You're being an ass!"

"Aw, what's the matter?"

"You're an ass, and…"

"And what? What's the matter? For someone who went to a military academy and has a mile long rap record, you talk big. Those who live in glass houses shouldn't cast stones."

Grunting, Jonathan shrugged.

"Hey, no stealing my lines." Shannon purred, nibbling on his twin's ear.

Growling, Jonathan squirmed. He normally enjoyed this, but, today he was irate over the fact that Shannon had made his feelings known.

"What's the matter?"

"You didn't have to tell Yui how you felt!" Jonathan spat out before realising that what he had just said.

Smirking, Shannon rested his head against Jonathan's. "Ah, you're jealous, aren't you, little brother? Don't worry; I won't stand in your way. I don't want her to be hurt, so, I'm not standing in your way. I have more problems and unresolved conflicts, and I don't want her or you caught in the middle. So, don't worry, I won't be in the way."

He then rested his head next to his brother's. "Though, I was jealous when you kissed Yui. I wanted to kill you. But, that would have done no one any good."

Kissing his twin, he stood up and picked up a small empty bag from under the bed. Wordlessly he went to the dresser and got out two changes of clothes, and out his laptop in. Slinging it over his shoulder before Jonathan realised what was happening, Shannon gazed back over at his brother. "Take care of her. I've got unfinished work."

"Damnit, not again! You're not leaving again, Shannon!" Jonathan cried out, scrambling off the bed, after his twin.

Breezing into the living room, Shannon didn't even look over at Yui, who sat cross-legged on the chesterfield, her notebook and textbook on her lap. She had tied her hair up, and had the stick of a lollipop sticking out of her mouth, and she held a pen, as she gazed up, wondering what was going on.

She didn't bother removing her headphones. She could hear them… Well, at least she could hear Jonathan. He was the louder of two.

She had decided to do some school work while Shannon went about his business to act like a twit.

Storming in, Jonathan tried to chase after his twin, but much to his dismay, he tripped over the foot rest, and made a spectacular face plant.

Yui blinked sweetly, and moved the lollipop to the other side of her mouth, watching the twins with interest.

'Jonathan must've really pissed off Shannon…'

"You could have helped me up!" Jonathan whined; pouting indignantly, as he glared at his brother's back.

Shannon snorted. "If you hadn't tried running, you wouldn't have this problem."

"If you weren't trying to leave again, I wouldn't have to run!"

"If you weren't prying, I wouldn't have had to tell you the truth! And besides, now that you know, it takes the burden off me and it means I can do what I want to do."

"You can't just leave!"

"Watch me!" Shannon reached into his jacket and taking out his badge, threw it onto the coffee table in front of Yui.

She blinked, and putting her textbook and notebook aside, she removed her headphones and picked up what Shannon had discarded. She arched an eyebrow, and looked up at him.

"Why did you throw your badge away?"

"I don't need it for what I'm going to do. I have all my power in the form of man power."

Jonathan glared at him. "Then why don't you tell me what you're doing and let me help!"

"They don't like Yanks."

"Well, if you told them that we're not all that bad…"

Pulling his hair back, he pulled out the friendship bracelet tied into hair. "If this is proof enough, then I don't need to."

Jonathan gaped. "Just because that happened, doesn't mean anything!"

"Oh, and like Jebel Abha doesn't mean anything to do!"

Jonathan paled and then glared hatefully at his brother. "Don't try and compare them!"

"Why not? They are the same in essence. The only difference is that you were ambushed and they bombed the embassy where there were many innocents! All because of Colonel Anderson! Who also sent you out to certain death!"

"You still can't compare them! What happened to you wasn't half as bad…"

"Don't give me that! You were spared!"

"How was I spared?"

"I saved your damned ass!"

"You took your sweet fucking time!"

Kicking the bottom of the coffee table, Yui picked up the gun that fell down from it. Cocking it, she pointed it at both brothers. "Stop this bickering before I resolve it for you!"

"How the hell did you find that?" Shannon asked in disbelief.

Glaring at his brother, Jonathan retorted. "If you weren't the proud owner of an obscene amount of arsenal, we wouldn't have it lying around!"

"I'm surprised to hear an American who thinks guns are bad. Aren't you going to give me that bullshit line about how it's your constitutional right as guaranteed in the second amendment?!" Shannon countered, a twisted smirk over his lips, his arms folded over his chest.

"Well, it is! And besides…" Jonathan retorted, sputtering indignantly, "You're not American, so it is NOT your constitutional right!"

"But I'm in the IRA, so it's my cultural responsibility to have a King's ransom in arsenal." Shannon proudly thumbing himself in the chest.

"But I own my gun collection legally!" Jonathan growled. "I bet you don't even know what the gun registry is!"

"All my of my arsenal are registered, even my bazooka and mini short-range missile projectile…" Shannon snorted, disdainfully eyeing the gun. "And my guns are a better make. They are Soviet make and not American make!"

"Soviet guns couldn't hit the broadside of a barn at three paces!"

'This is insane!' Yui thought, glowering at the pair. 'So, let's see what this baby can do…'

Pulling the trigger, she fired, hitting the wall.

"HA! See, American guns can't hit their target!"

"They can when they are in the hands of trained professionals!"

"Next time I will miss the wall. Now, sit down before I kill you both for being mentally inept!" Yui snarled, cocking the gun, moving the barrel between the brothers.

"She won't fire it on us." Jonathan declared.

Shannon nodded. "I don't think it's that. She doesn't know how to aim!"

Her eyes widened in shock. 'They really are stupid!'

Before she could reply, the gun flew from her hand, and then when she blinked, she found that there was a new one there.

"Now, you'll notice that she can aim properly and actually hit her target now that she is using a Soviet make. Unlike the American firing arm, the Soviet one can actually do damage." Shannon arrogantly explained.

Growling, Jonathan picked up the gun. "It can so hit the target! She is just untrained! If I spent five minutes teaching her, she could fire it!"

"No, training is NOT required. I learned how to fire without help. It comes naturally when you have a Soviet issued."

"That is shit! Everyone knows that Soviet guns have far too much feedback, which make them harder to operate and harder to aim with!"

"You're just trying to defend inferior equipment because you can't accept that…."

Growling, Yui fired.

"…your… FUCK!!"

Shannon fell to his knees, his hand over the wound on his shoulder. Blood seeped through his fingers. He winced and gazed at the wound, and his twin's eyes travelled to the same place before the both of them raised their eyes to Yui, who held the gun with conviction.

"Shit, she shot you… Fuck!" Jonathan also fell to his knees, his hand clutching the same part of his upper arm. "Damn you and your big mouth!"

Shannon groaned in pain, but then unexpectedly smirked. "HA! See, this proves that Soviet guns have better aim!"

Yui twitched.

The gun fell from her hands, and not because she shot the one she loved (though that was part of it), but rather because despite being shot, he was still acting like a cocky bastard!

'Well, at least I only had to shoot one of them to try and get my point across.'

"Ow…Aren't you going to do any about this?" Jonathan whined.

Rolling his eyes, Shannon held out his hand, his pen knife from his bag flew into hand. Moving his other hand off the wound, he placed the knife down and reaching under the chesterfield, he pulled out a bottle of bourbon, and drank half of it in one shot.

Putting it down, he first removed his shirt, dropping it onto the floor, and then took the knife and feeling where the bullet was in his shoulder, stuck the knife into the wound, and after a minute of fiddling, effectively dislodged the bullet, allowing it to fall out, landing on the floor, covered in blood.

In the process, since Jonathan was connected to his twin got the full effect of the decision.

He felt light-headed, ill, and after that, fell unconscious. He couldn't take such large amounts of liquid with high concentrations of alcohol. Which in a way was good because he passed out before Shannon stuck the knife into the wound to dislodge the bullet.

Yui blinked and suppressed the nausea she was feeling.

Moving his arm, Shannon nodded. "Ah, better. And, I made record time on it this time!"

Yui groaned, covering her nose. "How can you possibly do that and not be ill?"

"Alcohol has a wonderful numbing affect that is similar to morphine. I didn't have any here, so, a large shot is fairly similar, though it doesn't take away the pain. It just dulls the senses to the pain." Shannon explained, as he then took his shirt, and ripping part of it off, first bandaged the wound then stripped his twin of the his shirt, bandaged Jonathan's wound.

Yui folded her arms over her chest. "Why did it affect him more?"

"Because, he has a low alcohol tolerance. In fairness to him, he isn't used to large doses of hard liquor. He only drinks American domestic, and anything else wreaks havoc on his system." Shannon explained, as he effortlessly lifted and placed his brother on the chesterfield.

Yui was ticked at him over the argument and his nonchalant attitude, but couldn't keep her eyes off his body. He had a sleek muscular build. She knew she was supposed to be mad, but, that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the sight before her. She wondered why he didn't go topless more often, especially since there was more to flaunt than conceal.

Of course, she stood over at the chair near the other end of the room, so she couldn't see the small detail that made Shannon very hesitant about going topless.

She watched him picked up the first off the ground and draped it over his shoulders. She arched an eyebrow, wondering why he decided o put the shirt over his shoulders, covering his back, which he had turned to her.

Her eyes travelled with him as he left the room.

Curiously, Yui followed him from the room.

She left a minute after he did.

Approaching the door, she watched him drop the torn shirt into the rubbish bin and go to get out a new one.

"Why don't you go topless?" she suggested.

Pivoting to face her, Shannon arched an eyebrow at her. "Why? I don't like being topless."

"Why not? I like it. Besides…" she leaned against the door frame, twirling a thick strand of blond hair around her finger, she giggled, "you're sexy like that…"

Shannon blushed; a very deep crimson red spread over his nose. He quickly pulled on a shirt. "I really prefer not to be topless."

"Why?" Yui asked, walking over to him. "It's not like you're bad looking. What's the matter? Got a really ugly birth mark you don't want me to see? I bet it's really cute!"

"Uh, no, it's not that."

"Then what is it?!"

"I…"

"Shannon, I really don't care what it is. It can't be that bad." Yui remarked, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"I really don't want to."

"I won't pressure you, but, I don't see the downside."

He eyed her carefully. "Fine… But, don't blame me if you're shocked."

She laughed softly. "I don't think that's possible."

He cocked an eyebrow at her sceptically. He knew better.

Sighing, he removed his shirt. He hated the way he looked. He was scar from head to foot. Across his back, healed but deep gashes littered his back. His front was equally covered. His arms were covered by what appeared to be healed burn scars.

His upper arms were scarred, but not as heavily as his forearms, which were covered in healed wounds from both from self-inflicted injury, fail suicide attempts, as well as from other causes.

He had one odd scar that stood out from the others. He had been born with it. It had been from when he had died in the first time as Suboshi. Unlike the others it wasn't a burn scar, or one that looked like it was from a cut or a lash.

Yui knew he was right, but despite her efforts to hold back any reaction, sucked in her breath.

'No, don't stare! I shouldn't ask!' she told herself. But, the odd one nonetheless intrigued her.

"There, now you understand why, and I'm still not going topless!" Shannon declared, but before he got his shirt back on, Yui reached out, touching his arm.

"It's not that bad, Shannon." She whispered, kissing him.

He grunted.

"I would like to ask one question…"

"What? Isn't it enough that you got your way?"

"I just want to know why you have one scar that doesn't look like any of the others!"

"It's two…" he turned his back to her. "And I would have thought Miaka would have told you."

Yui blinked. She didn't understand what he meant. She pressed him, asking for more explanation.

He glared at her. "I would have thought that she would have gladly informed you I killed myself with my own weapon!"

She pulled back, wincing at his tone. "No… she just said you died…"

Looking away, Yui sighed. She wanted to understand him. But, he kept pushing her away. She didn't understand why he was doing it. She loved him, and he did indicate that he reciprocated her feelings. She just wished he would stop acting like this.

"Shannon…"

"Hn?"

"I love you but…"

"Hn?"

"But…I wish you would act like it. You finally said how you felt, but you're still distant and cold. It hurts, Shannon. I wish you would tell me straight out. Do you love me, or are you sparing my feelings because…?"

He shook his head and sighed. "I didn't want you to love me. I tried to find nice ways of pushing you away. It hurt, but, I didn't think it was healthy for you to be close to me. I'm too dangerous…" he softly remarked, his bangs falling in front of his eyes. "I'm afraid that if you get close to me, you'll get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt. I love you…"

"But, that doesn't matter!" Yui protested her eyes firm with conviction. Until he gave her a better explanation, she wasn't going to accept any more of his bull. She flung herself into his arms.

"I don't care about that. I'm willing to take a risk. I love you, and if you love me, you'll stop pushing me away." She whispered.

He softly sighed again. He was hesitant about embracing her. He wanted to hold her and tightly. This had been what he had wanted, but he also damn well knew that human forces would stand in his way if they found out his weakness. His weakness was her.

'Don't you get it? She's yours. She wants you to hold her close. You wanted this last time, and you still wanted it this time. Being logical isn't always the safest way. Follow your gut instinct for once. Take her into your arms and show her that you're serious!' the nagging voice of his conscience remarked, giving him a swift kick-start.

He didn't consider it for a moment. He acted swiftly, and pushed her down onto the bed, fiercely kissing her.

She gasped, as she fell back. She hadn't expected him to act so aggressively. She went to speak, but found her lips entangled in a sweet kiss with his. Purring contently, she threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer.

Sitting under a Sakura tree in a spacious common, Brennan exhaled a breath of air, watching as the sunset in the distant horizon beyond the tall high rise buildings of downtown Tokyo. He wasn't leaving just yet, despite the orders that were barked at him by Shannon, who in Brennan's opinion was an arrogant twat.

'I really don't want to go back to Berlin! I do NOT need plants chasing me, and the threat of de-aging following me, and having to fight off teleporting lustful pedophiles!' he thought bitterly, as he stared at seemingly nothing, when suddenly something entered his line of vision.

Two lights shot down from the sky, exploding directly in front of him.

They had been two streaks; an emerald green one and an ivory white one.

'What the hell…?' he thought, as he raised his arm to block his eyes from the lights.

Lowering it, he noticed that two girls lay where the lights had landed. White light crackled around the girl wearing a school uniform, and green light sizzled around the girl wearing a kimono.

"Eh…?" he reached out, poking each girl quizzically.

The first of the two moaned, and sat up.

She was the girl in the uniform with twin waist-length braids. "Where are we?"

She gazed over at the strange boy. "Oh, sorry, I hope we didn't scare you."

Brennan blinked dumbly. "No, you didn't. The light surprised me." He titled his head. "The light…. Who are you? It looked like the lights of Byakko and Genbu?"

"Oh, you're quite right." The braided girl replied, nodding. "I was brought here by the light of Byakko, and my friend Takiko-san by that of Genbu. We were sent here by Seiryuu."

She paused and gazed at him. "Please forgive my rudeness." She bowed. "I'm Oosugi Suzuno."

Brennan bowed in turn. "It's all right. I'm O'Kelly Brennan. Or, Suzaku Seishi, Chiriko."

Suzuno gazed up sharply. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes, otherwise, I wouldn't have known that you were Byakko no Miko. I saw it in the stars that you were coming back, when the constellations of Byakko moved into position to indicate the return of their Messiah, who would be their Miko."

Suzuno smiled sweetly. "So, all the Seishi were reincarnated then?"

"As far as I know all the Suzaku and the Seiryuu. Only three Byakko and possibly two to three Genbu Seishi." He replied, after a moment. "Though I wouldn't go near the Byakko reincarnations. They are evil! I mean… One of them tried to put me back in diapers; one sent his plants after me and their pedophile teleported after me! I'm only Chiriko – I have no real skills! I'm just a 'brainy brat' as my brother Paddy, or Suboshi, calls me."

Looking over at Takiko's body, Brennan looked back to Suzuno. "If I carry her, would you come with me? I would like to talk to both of you and bring you to meet one of the two other Miko. I'm not taking you to Seiryuu no Miko because Paddy will kill me because I'm supposed be back in Berlin. Suzaku no Miko, Miaka-san, is really nice."

"Suzaku no Miko?" Suzuno peered at Brennan as he picked up Takiko's body. "Does she have a brother by the name of Yuuki Keisuke?"

"Uh…I think so." Brennan replied carrying Takiko carefully.

"I vaguely remember him coming back to visit Toki before I died."

Brennan arched an eyebrow at her. "So, you're also reincarnated?"

"Actually, no." Suzuno smiled slyly. "Takiko-san and I are resurrected."


	24. Chapter 24

Take My Cross

**Take My Cross**

Like I need to defend my own innocence  
So what I did it, I admit it, I played in defence  
One more anthem for the know it all  
I won't be standing up alone I better learn how to crawl  
Learn how to crawl  
In ten minutes I'll be laying out flat on the floor

(_Flat on the Floor_, The Long Road, Nickelback)

It was late at night.

An elderly man was walking alone the train tracks, walking his dog, a mix-breed, which pulled urgently on the leash, wanting to sniff around. The animal was quite the curious hound. It liked to chase birds and rabbits.

They walked amongst the shallow weeds and brush, still near the tracks. The man stopped as the dog stopped, and while the animal sniffed around and pawed at the ground, the man idly stood, staring at the sky, then over at the buildings. He then impatiently tugged on the leash. "C'mon you flea-bitten mutt, let's go. I don't feel like getting bat food."

The dog whimpered and continued to jerk demandingly in one direction.

Growling the man, yanked the leash. "Shut up you dumb mutt! Let's go! I'm going to miss the late night report!"

The dog began to bark and jump to where he wanted to go.

Seeing no other way to outwit this obstinate creature, the owner allowed for the dog to go over to investigate what lay on the ground.

"It's probably a dead squirrel…" the man muttered indignantly to himself, as he followed his dog over to where the dog had wanted to.

By the time the man approach, the dog had nosed incessantly at the body. The dog had also begun to raise a stink, barking loudly, demanding for his owner to hurry up, even though the man seemed reluctant to move faster.

The dog, in his nudging and barking, accidentally knocked the wallet out of the shredded back pocket of the pants of the dead body that lay on the ground.

"Stop your damned barking. There you saw…" The man grumbled, but stopped dead in his tracked, his face paling, the bile rising in his throat.

No wonder his dog had been barking so much! There was a person lying here, dead! A kid had been horribly murdered and no one had yet found the body, until the man and his dog wandered onto the scene during a late night walk before bed.

Growling, the dog took the wallet in his mouth, as his owner tugged on the leash. "C'mon, you dumb animal. Yes, it's a dead body. It's not like you've never seen a dead animal before…"

Complying, the dog obediently followed its master from the body near the rail tracks, holding the wallet it found in its mouth, happily trotting along side his master. The dog was satisfied. It had got the pleasure of investigating the rotting corpse, and finding a new chew toy. He was in his own little heaven, as he walked dutifully beside his master as they approached the building that they lived in.

Untying the leash from the dog's collar, the man ignored the wallet the animal carried merrily in its mouth, assuming it was just a piece of trash that the dog had picked up on the way home. The man didn't associate the wallet with the dead body, as he ambled over to phone and picked up, calling the local police department. He didn't bother with the emergency number, as it was clear the body had been there a while and used the regular crime stopper's line to report the presence of a dead body.

Picking up the phone, the man dialled while the animal went over to the throw rug, and sitting down, lay, holding the wallet between his paws, contentedly gnawing on the leather, as its master made the call.

"Yes, that's right, officer. I just found the body lying there. No, I didn't see a thing… I didn't hear anything earlier. Uh-huh… Ok, no problem. Thanks officer. Yes, thank you…good night."

Hanging up, the man sighed, walking over to the dog, eyeing the animal. "What the hell are you chewing on, you dumb flea-bitten critter?"

He went to take it from the dog, but his faithful pet and friend growled softly at him, and went back to gnawing. The man shrugged and sat down on the couch, reaching for the remote control that sat on the arm of his ratty but much-loved couch, and turned on the TV, while his pet tore apart the only thing that would identify the body that lay in the brush next to the tracks.

"Stupid animal…" he muttered again, as he changed the channel to the eleven o'clock news.

"Here's to…uh…Yui picking me over my not-so-sexy twin!"

"Shannon, that is nothing worthy to toast to! You should find something else to toast to!"

Smirking, Shannon, grinned evilly at Jonathan, who glared, his arms folded, not holding the glass, while the other three that were with them at the pub, waited for the toast to finish – either that or the twins to finish bickering.

"You're just jealous!"

"I am not! I just don't think you should gloat about it! Besides…I don't see why I should toast to that! You're insulting me in it! And she never picked you – you finally decided you were man enough to tell her how you feel!"

"Like I said, you're jealous."

"I am not!"

Yui groaned, as Miaka and Taka put their glasses down. "Which one of you two do I have to shoot in order to get peace here?" She poked both twins. She sat between the brothers.

Taka arched an eyebrow, and Miaka gaped at Yui.

Yui blinked sweetly, and smiling with utmost virtue, replied, "oh no, I would never do anything like that. But, it is the kind of language that they understand when they are bickering like this."

Snorting derisively, Shannon retorted, "Yeah, in your dreams you're innocent. You shot me!"

"But you gave me your gun…"

"After you found Jonathan's spare under the coffee table."

"Oh, so that's where I left it…" he mused, listening to the banter between his brother and Yui.

Miaka blinked dumbly, about to question what she was hearing.

Leaning in, Taka whispered, "Just don't ask. Remember, it's Shannon we're talking about. The guy has in the past declared he has a King's random in arsenal. So, you can't be surprised by what you hear any more."

Giggling, she then turned to Shannon. Leaning in she whispered, "I want to make a toast, but, I don't want to break my promise…"

He glanced at her sideways. "It is healed?"

Lifting her left index finger, she blinked, looking at it closely. "Well…kind of…" she replied.

"Then forget it!" He smirked. "What's the point in having a secret if it's blabbed?"

"Secret?" The ears of Taka, Jonathan and Yui perked up as they zeroed in on Shannon and Miaka, their curiosity peaked.

"Back off, you parasites! This is none of your business!" Shannon growled.

Miaka made a gesture; she zipped her lips, and smiled deviously.

Jonathan glared at them, and then attempted a telepathic intrusion against Shannon, only to be violently repelled. Growling, he snatched the glass and declared the toast, "Our toast – I hereby toast to my brother for managing to be the world's biggest asshole and still getting a girl. Which is not fucking fair because I'm the saner of us, and Yui should have picked me!" He then fired back half his drink.

Miaka blinked and remarked, "Yep, he is jealous…"

"No kidding." Shannon replied, sipping his drink.

Yui sat silently. She cared for both and on the surface pretended to ensure the friendly rivalry, but, deep inside she felt like she was dying. No matter which one she picked, she would inevitably wind up hurting the other, and that didn't do her any good.

"Couldn't you have found something more tasteful to toast to, Jonathan?" Taka asked, holding his glass to his lips, not wanting to drink without a proper declaration of "cheers" or a toast.

Putting his glass down, Shannon reached over and seized Jonathan's glass. "You already have five before the others came. Slow the hell down. I am not in the mood to carry your drunken ass home again. Take it easy before I force moderation on you."

Ignoring Taka, Jonathan glared at his brother and took the glass back. "You are not my mother! And five isn't that much! You've had seven!"

"Even so, you don't have the tolerance!" Shannon retorted, taking the glass back. "Further, you're heavy as hell when you're fucking unconscious!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are! I've had to carry your worthless hide out of bars before, and it's always late and the taxi takes for bloody ever to come around! Even if I try if pout you down, you somehow manage to find a way to hang off me like a lead weight!"

"Well, if you didn't challenge me…"

"No one said you had to try and copy me, or try and drink me under the table!"

Jonathan stood up. He moved around to where his twin sat and pulled him out. "I'm so tired of you acting like a cocky son of a bitch!" he dropped his twin to the floor.

Cursing, Shannon grunted. He hadn't expected his brother to pick a fight with him.

He rolled to his feet and reaching over, grabbed the nearest empty bottle and smashed it, so he could use it.

Jonathan reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pen knife.

Crying out, Yui went to interfere, but, Taka grabbed her by the arm and shook his head. "Just let them fight. Jonathan wants to, and Shannon can control the situation."

"But…"

"No, Jonathan isn't totally gone yet; he's drunk enough to lack any inhibitions that would have stopped him from fighting his brother. Jealousy is the biggest factor right now."

Miaka giggled and reaching across the table stole Jonathan's unwatched food.

"HEY! No fair! That's mine!" Jonathan whined, momentarily getting distracted; long enough for Shannon to put his weapon aside and flying at his twin, grabbing him at the waist and effortlessly tackling him to the ground.

Grunting, Jonathan fell under his twin's weight, landing hard on the floor, Shannon on top of him.

Sitting up, Shannon smirked. "So give up, or do you want me to kick your fucking ass?"

"Get the hell off me! You're fucking heavy!"

"Oh, you're a bloody wuss!"

"You're sitting on my fucking rib cage!"

Shannon shrugged. "Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?"

"THIS!" Jonathan rolled over, knocking his brother off him. He sat up, glaring at his brother. "You're such a fucking ass!"

Snorting disdainfully, Shannon stood up, and as he walked by his brother, casually shoved him back, causing Jonathan to land back on his ass as he tried to stand up.

He glared at his brother. "And that wasn't fucking nice!"

"Maybe if you weren't so fucking souses, you wouldn't have fallen onto your ass!" Shannon retorted, as he picked up his glass, slugging down the contents.

"Oh really?" Jonathan drawled sarcastically. He banged his fist on the table. "Here and now – I challenge you to ten rounds! Now we'll see who can truly hold his ground!"

Shannon laughed derisively at his brother. "You want me to drink you under the table…AGAIN?"

"Oh boy…" Taka muttered. He stood up. "Miaka, Yui, let's leave them… The last time I hung around here, I got the pleasure of helping Shannon haul Jonathan's sorry ass out to the curb. I don't feel like watching them do this yet again…"

Miaka looked up from her plate. "Can I at least finish?"

"Miaka, you've already had seven plates…" Yui moaned, looking away. Her friend's eating habits were… unorthodox to say the least.

Taka stood up, and pried the plate from Miaka. "You can eat when we get to my apartment. Yui, we'll walk you home."

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I'll go home with the twins."

Shannon shook his head. "Just go with Taka. If you stay, I'll also have to take care of your sorry hide. One weak drinker is enough for me to handle."

Yui snorted. "I've only had two Long Island iced teas! I can have one more. I'm going home with you anyway! And you can't make me do what I don't want to do!"

Growling, Shannon sighed. "Fine, do whatever the hell you want to do."

"Great!" Yui replied sweetly. Getting up, she went over to Miaka, hugging her. "See you in school tomorrow!"

"Yui-chan, maybe you shouldn't stay if we have class…" Miaka suggested, returning her friend's hug.

Smiling, she replied, "No, it'll be fine! Besides…" she winked, "I've been meaning to catch up on my classroom Z's while you take notes!"

"Yui-chan!!" Miaka whined. She hated it when Yui wouldn't share her notes because it meant that she would have to find someone who would share them and most of their classmates weren't friendly, especially since their resented her for dating out of her league.

Taka took Miaka's hand, leading them out of the pub, leaving behind Yui and the twins, who were squaring off over a round of ten vodka shots.

Taking her Long Island iced tea, Yui sat back. She watched in amusement this 'contest' between the two. She had a very vague (if any) idea of what it involved. She knew it involved alcohol, but, what was going to surprise her was the amount that the two combined would consume.

Shannon smoothly and nonchalantly fired back half of the shots. His timing was flawless and there was no indication of any rejection by his body, whether it be the kick-in gag reflex, or a cognitive signal that was sporadic, causing a change in his expression.

Jonathan, on the other hand, was having a very hard time after the second shot. The first shot had been easy. The second shot hit him, but not enough to warrant any of the side effects. The third shot however showed significant lapses. After he fired it back, he groaned softly, feeling very light headed. His biggest mistake was trying to keep pace with his brother who was no amateur in this sport.

Smirking as he picked up his other drink, Shannon swirled the contents. "What's the matter, can't finish your last two shots? Why don't you give up now? You know you're going to lose and horribly. On top of that, you're going to have one nasty bitch of a hang over."

Snarling, Jonathan held his nose and dumped the contents of the remaining two shots in his mouth and swallowed. He slammed the glass on the table and glared at his brother. "I was just getting warmed up… I like building a little suspense. You know, inflating your ego before I leave your pride writhing on the floor…bruised."

Shannon's eyes narrowed. "You can say whatever you want, but, if we continue, not only am I going to drink you under the table, but you're going to have a massive hangover tomorrow."

Snorting derisively, Jonathan retorted, "not likely, brother. You see, you've made one fatal mistake – you've underestimated me!"

"Oh, you're quite right – I've underestimated your stupidity!" Shannon replied coldly. "Now, I'm not going to continue this. I've humiliated you before. You've felt the consequences. Are you such a masochist that you've become a glutton for punishment?"

Jonathan pushed his empty glass aside. "What's the matter, chickening out?"

Shannon stood up. "No, I'm just employing common sense." He reached and removed the glass from Yui's hand. "And you have had enough as well!"

She glared at him. "You aren't my mother! And you had far more than me!"

"That is irrelevant." Shannon flatly informed her. "Now get up, we're leaving my brother to be stupid alone. I'm not leaving you with him! He's got a low tolerance and he is barely able to stand up under his own will power."

Taking her glass, Yui took another sip. "You're just being difficult, Shannon. I'm fine! If you want to be a wet blanket, then go!"

Growling, he pulled the glass again from her hand, and while holding it, shattered it in his. "Now that I've made my point, you're not staying!" He said firmly, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. "And I'm doing this because I'm not letting you do something stupid!"

"Then why not stop Jonathan?" Yui countered angrily.

"Because my brother is a moron."

Pulling his wallet out with his free hand, he took out a rough amount of Yen to pay the server and left the rest for Jonathan. He held Yui's wrist with his bloodied hand.

"Shannon! This is unnecessary!" she protested, as she tried to pull her hand from his as she followed, knowing resisting wouldn't do any good, as he could blink and move her without effort. "And I'm a woman, not a child! I can make my own choices!"

"Damnit, Yui!" He let her hand go and pulled her into his arms. "I know you can! I just don't trust my brother to make sure you're fine when he comes home. I'm doing this because I don't want to have to worry about you as well as him."

"Then why did you leave?"

"Because every time I stay, I give into his ignorance!"

"Well…you don't have to!" she replied sharply.

He chuckled. "You're cute when you act naïve. My pride is at stake if I stay and not give into a challenge like that. I'm insulting my Irish heritage if I don't do that…"

"Funny…I thought you were German!" Yui replied with a hint of poison to her voice.

"Once again, arguments that have nothing to do with anything."

She folded her arms and grunted huffily.

"Stop being unreasonable…"

"I am not unreasonable! I have rights and I don't have to listen to you! Just because you're a man doesn't make you any more important than me!"

Shannon groaned. "Yui, I do not need this now. I am not doing this for any other reason other than I care about you! I'm just being your voice of reason because everyone needs someone who will put a hand on their shoulder and say, 'maybe you should put that glass down. You've had enough to drink'. I do it for you and I'd expect the same from you…" he whispered, as he kissed her on the forehead.

Moaning, she turned away from him. "I just don't like being controlled…"

Snarling in frustration, Shannon retorted, "I'm not controlling you, damnit it! I'm just being a friend! I'm doing whatever any good friend would do!"

"Then stop being my friend!"

"Yui – please, stop this, you're letting the alcohol talk!"

She threw her hair over her shoulder and ignoring him, walked away.

"Yui get back here!" Shannon called.

He went to move, but stopped dead in his tracks, feeling a presence. His eyes turned to the alley as vines shot out, grabbing Yui, who shrieked, falling to her knees.

Summoning his Ryuuseisui, Shannon readied himself. He knew better than to out right attack. He knew the fighting style of this person… he knew that Aaron Yorck lacked the patience of a true soldier.

Crying, Yui squirmed against the vines. "Let me go! Shannon…help me…" she sobbed, feeling the small yet sharp thorns eating into through her clothes, prickling her skin.

"Ah, it seems I have finally found the one person that would lead me to O'Kelly…" the German boy drawled as he stepped out, holding the vines in his hand. "Oh, and what a love catch. But, she makes quite a racket doesn't she?"

"Oh, it's nice to see you're still capable of being a lame ass." Shannon remarked coldly, responding in German.

Aaron glared coldly at him. "You're one difficult bastard to find!"

"And you're one difficult bastard to not laugh at. You're weak as a kitten. Your fighting skills are mediocre at best and your attack is so delightfully infantile that it lacks creativity." Shannon retorted smirking.

"Oh, and like yours doesn't?"

"Shall I give you a demonstration?"

"And what, put the Ryuuseisui through my chest?"

"No…" Shannon held out his hand and the Ryuuseisui flew out, going for Yui who whimpered, flinching, only to open her eyes and find herself gently embraced Shannon's weapon, and floating down into his arms, the vines lying in millions of pieces on the ground. "Thank you. I have what I need. I'll be seeing you Yorck. Fight me when you're a man."

Turning his back, Shannon, carrying Yui, walked on past Aaron.

"You fucking son of a bitch…" Aaron pulled out another seed, but dropped it as a terribly melody ripped through the air, tearing through his skull, penetrating his psyche.

Shannon paused and turned around, facing his brother who lowered his flute and smirked. "It's not very nice to leave me out of a fight. Now I know why you wanted to leave without me you selfish bastard! Don't be a greedy bastard! Share the enemies with me!"

Snickering, Shannon replied, "It was not intentionally… But, dear Jonathan, do be kind and don't finish him off. We need a messenger to send back to the remaining assholes as a sign not to mess with us."

"Avec plaisir…"

Aaron made the grave mistake of second guessing Jonathan's skills. As the flute was, Aaron chuckled to himself and pulled out a vine. He could attack Jonathan, but Shannon had his back turned to him; his arrogance radiating in his stride. He couldn't stand the superciliousness in which that man held himself.

He then stopped dead in his tracks. Quite literally, as Jonathan's satisfyingly vicious melody tore through the core of the electric pulses that pumped life through the brain of Aaron to the end, even as he screamed, holding his head, falling to the ground. Writhing in anguish, the young man couldn't block out the invading notes; each one a sharp razor. It was an eternity of hell in the mind of Aaron, even as that last note ripped his head apart in a searing burst of burning electricity.

Laughing softly, a hint of madness to his tone, Jonathan lowered his flute. "That felt oddly satisfying. It's been quite some time since I've used the rip feature of my skill…"

Shannon gazed back over his shoulder. "Well…I wasn't expecting you to kill Yorck. But, I guess sending his body back, though crude, is quite an effective way to give then our message."

He lowered Yui to her feet, but instead of standing up, she immediately clung to him in fear. "Shannon…why did that guy just outright attack us? I thought…I thought that…"

"No Yui, he only got rid of the Tokyo chapter. There are two more strongholds. Once those have been dismantled, the rest will fall like dominos." Jonathan explained, gleefully madness dancing in his eyes.

Laughing, he then slumped against his brother. "That was great! I've never felt such release. We need to take on the rest of these assholes…"

"You're really drunk." Shannon said matter-of-factly.

Jonathan shrugged. "Yeah, so, what's your point? Now I know why you enjoy it so much…such exhilaration! The rush…"

Getting out of Yui's grasp, Shannon grabbed his brother by the wrist. "No, and you're not getting anything else to drink! We're going home! I don't feel like cleaning up your messes or you…"

"Aw, c'mon, Shan, one drink?" Jonathan purred, nuzzling against his twin's neck. "And you know you want to. Besides, it's been a while since I've been put in my place, hasn't it? And Yui doesn't have to come in order to witness you making an ass of yourself. But, if you don't want to, I'll understand, though, it means that you relinquish your title…"

"Fuck you, you're a manipulative bastard!" Shannon growled turning on his brother. "Fine! You're on and no fucking bellyaching if I make you fucking regret this for the rest of your life!"

"You never could back down…"

"Not when it means I can make an ass of you, wanker!"

The twins laughed and turning back, Shannon instructed Yui, "go home without us. I need to put my moronic brother in his place…again…"

Yui folded her arms. "You can't tell me what to do."

"Sure I can…" he whispered, pulling her into his arms. "I put my ass on the line for you now… and so the least you can do is listen to me, Yui-chan…"

He never added the 'chan' honorific to her name; a soft whine entered her moan. "No fair using your wits…"

"I'd let you come. But, I don't want you around when my brother's drunk…"

Jonathan laughed dryly. "You're a terrible drunk, Shan. You know how to act 'sober' but, really, you're such a bastard! You're unable to keep your cool and your temper is bad when anyone looks at you sideways."

Grabbing his brother in a headlock, Shannon noogied his brother. "You're a fine one to talk. You're a loud-mouthed bastard! You are clumsy and you can't even talk straight. And you piss off the wrong people!"

"Oh yeah? Then get your ass in gear and we'll see who's really the weaker one!" Jonathan weaseled his way out of his twin's headlock and pushed him in the direction of another pub.

"You're on!" Shannon retorted following his brother. He called back to Yui. "We'll meet you at home later! Don't wait for us!"

Growling, Yui folded her arms. She not only hated being left out, but she also hated that she now she had to walk home alone. "Yes I'll wait. In fact, I'm coming with you! I am not walking home by myself or taking a cab!"

"Yui…"

She turned as Shannon stopped in front of her. He reached around his neck and removed his chain that held his cross and placed it on her hand. "Take it. We won't be late."

"But Shannon…" she began gazing at the silver cross in her hand.

He shook his head. "Take it. I know you feel left out. But, you're not; and you're not alone. Even though you're going home alone, God is going with you. He's everywhere and he'll be watching over you." He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Don't stay up late. You have school tomorrow…"

"Shannon! I don't want to take it! I want you to come home now!" She pleaded.

He cupped his hand over hers. "It's ok." He kissed her again. "I love you. Now go. I don't want to you around when I make an ass of my brother. It won't beautiful. I don't like drinking a lot around you."

"I don't care!" Yui protested as Shannon took the chain from her hand and placed it around her neck. "I want to come along!"

He placed both hands on her shoulders and pulled her in for a firm kiss. "No you're not. Now, please just go home. And if you come with us…I won't cover your ass on your age."

Yui scowled at him. "Now you're being mean!"

"No, I'm being a good friend! Friend's don't let underage friends get soused. And you're already getting a bit of a red nose, or are you just blushing a lot?"

Giggling, she swatted him. "Fine, fine, I give…but! You can't go yet…"

"Why not?"

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply.

Tapping his foot, Jonathan loudly cleared his throat. "Are you done yet? I'm going to sober up if you don't move it, Shannon!"

"Gee, perish the thought…" Shannon drawled sarcastically, as Yui motioned for a taxi and got in.

Placing an arm around his brother's shoulders, he smirked. "Ready to get your ass kicked again, Kou?"

"Yeah right!" Jonathan snorted derisively, as he pushed the door open for the pub that they entered.


	25. Chapter 25

Apocalyptic Strings

**Apocalyptic Strings**

_Don't give us none of your aggravation  
We had it with your discipline  
Saturday night's alright for fighting  
Get a little action in_

(_Saturday Night's Alright_, The Long Road, Nickelback)

Having the rest of the night to themselves and no girl to baby sit, the twins were quite content with going about their business, the challenge left in the open for when they felt ready. Jonathan had used it to coax his brother in to staying out without Yui. Sure, he loved her too, but she was a burden and he wanted to be a moronic guy, and it was hard with a girl around who had zilch in terms of self-defence, other than screaming his brother's name!

Leaning against his twin as they wandered into the pub that they hadn't been to before, Jonathan smirked, addressing his brother in English. "Let's hold out on drinking you under the table… I want to know something. You've got to tell me this secret you and Miaka have. It's got to be fucking good if she's kept her mouth shut! She was always loud and secrecy is not what she was known for…"

"You're such an incorrigible brat!" Shannon growled, lightly punching his brother in the shoulder. "I'll tell you the basics. Nothing more. Otherwise, what good's a secret when other people know?"

"I could always try finding out telepathically…"

"And you'll get a massive headache if you."

Whining, Jonathan sat at the first available chair after they pushed through the door and the small crowd at the front, gathered around to watch the last bits of the late night news. He slumped in the chair. "I hate it when you act difficult…" he pouted.

Snickering, Shannon ran his fingers through his brother's hair before he sat down at the chair across, "stop acting indignant! Just because I'm not telling you, it doesn't mean a thing…"

Grunting cynically, Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm sure you're being a real angel, Shan." He leaned forward, pouting. In a simpering voice, asked, "So, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to take drastic measures when we get home?"

"You're a fucking hentai!" Shannon growled. He motioned for the waitress to come over.

"Good evening, what can I get you two?" she asked friendly.

Shannon pointed to himself, "I'll take a pint of Dunphys and…" he pointed to his twin. Jonathan smirked. "Give me the same thing."

Nodding, the waitress left, as Shannon rolled his eyes at his twin. "You're so going to regret it. You passed out when I slugged Bourbon, what makes you think you won't have the same reaction with this stuff?"

The younger twin shrugged. "I'm in the mood for something different."

"Fine…but be prepared for a massive hangover. This stuff is so potent. I'm impressed that they carry it here. Then again, it appears to be foreign owned, so, that might be a reason why."

"I'm already going to have one… I might as well make it worthwhile…"

Shannon was about to make a snide remark but stopped as he glared at a group of ten young men who entered the pub, talking loudly. He knew that accent – they were Cambridge prep boys!

"God, I hate those bastards! They're not only fucking Protestants, but they're fucking English! And look at the way they move. They act like they own the fucking world…" Shannon snarled contemptuously.

Jonathan craned his neck to see who Shannon meant and nodded. He could understand; the group did have that air to them. "Who shoved a stick up their asses? These are the kind of asshole Protestants you got to deal with? No wonder you're in the IRA."

"No shit… These wankers are just asking for it…"

"What do you mean?"

Shannon paused as the waitress put the drinks down.

Picking his up, he lifted his glass. "Here's to kicking Protestant ass!" and upon clinking glasses with his brother, down his pint in two gulps, and strangely, Jonathan managed to do the same – though the effects were a lot more evident in the younger of the two.

"Yeah. They are asking for it…"

"…and so, I says to him, I says, 'so mate…"" one of the English boys loudly said, as he walked by the table the twins sat at. He paused and eyed the twins, and then gazed back at one of his friends. "Sullivan, didn't this lad give you a run for your money?"

"Fuck…it's the fucking Seanchill Nazi…" the Irish Protestant young man replied nastily. He had a refine accent – indicating he had spent a couple of years in the warm elitist embrace of Cambridge.

Shannon smirked. "Ah yes…I remember that. You gave me that title after I ran you and your prep school friends off my street, and all because you arrogant asses made a wrong turn."

He stood up, cracking his knuckles. "You didn't learn your lesson yet…did you?"

"HA! The question should be, did…" Sullivan went to retort, but instead found his jaw in connection with Shannon's fist, and was soon sprawled on his ass on the floor.

Shannon placed a foot on the boy's chest. "It feels good to be able to kick Protestant ass…haven't done it in ages…"

"Save a couple for me…" Jonathan requested standing up.

"There's two of 'em?" one of the others remarked, sounding surprised.

"Very good, the cocky wanker knows his math… How is your knowledge of physics?" Shannon drawled, as he lifted a hand and without touching the boy, lifted him effortlessly via telekinesis, and releasing him, sent him flying across the pub.

The other nine cleared a path, staring in shock at the one known as Sullivan went flying across the room, crashing into the table where a couple of local young men sat, trying to ignore what was going on behind them.

They couldn't ignore for long.

"ARGH! Not again! Why the hell didn't we leave when he came?"

"Tetsuya, calm down!" Keisuke took serviettes from the dispenser on the table and tried to help his friend wipe up the split beer, ignoring the moaning young man who lay on the other side of the table in pain.

Growling, Tetsuya tried to dry himself off more before he charged over to where Shannon and Jonathan were, semi surrounded by British prep school boys.

"YOU!!" he spat. "I can't ever have a peaceful drink without you wrecking it!"

Turning, Shannon replied in Japanese, "Watch it, Kajiwara, or I'll have to refresh your memory. Remember those months long past…the time when I first kicked your ass? Well, think hard because it'll happen again…but, not until after I finish here…"

He turned and punched the nearest Cambridge boy square in the jaw, while Jonathan had two at his feet begging for mercy.

Shannon then gazed back. "You know, instead of standing there either waiting to ambush me, or waiting to fight me…why don't you fight one of the other four? You might have a chance in winning – English boys are pansies."

"That other kid is with them…" one of the others not directly in the fight remarked to his chums. "I'll charge him from behind; you'll come up front… Catholics don't learn…"

Unaware of what the English boys were saying, Tetsuya rolled his eyes at Shannon. "Why the hell would I want to help you? You stole my girlfriend!"

"Because…" Shannon replied, looking up, as he bashed the heads of two prep school boy's together. "…you're about to be charge by one from behind and a couple in front…"

"That's such shit…" Tetsuya growled, turning to face one of the two. He then dodged and spun to face the three. 'What the hell is their problem?' He thought as he blocked a roundhouse punch that came in from his left.

The one who had fallen first came to his feet, and screaming a random obscenity charged back in, only to meet the full force of Jonathan's kick, as he discarded the two he was dealing with and turned to the first. The two he discarded, landed near two others who weren't yet in the fight.

From the back, at the table, Keisuke shook his head. He wasn't about to gent involved, especially when he saw the bartender pick up the phone and call the police. 'Oh man, Tetsuya and the other two are in deep shit because of those damned cocky foreigners who decided to pick a fight with him and the twins!'

He knew the twins would be fine – in fact, they seemed to be enjoying it, almost too much; especially Jonathan, who Keisuke never thought to be one to sink to the level of the crowd and submerse himself in the mindlessness of the ensuing violence.

Keisuke didn't move as a group of police officers charged in and went straight for the group, whom they immediately charged with disturbing the peace.

As the English boys were arrested and before an officer placed handcuffs on Shannon's wrists, while arresting his twin, he smirked evilly. He cleared his throat. "Sorry officers, but there seems to be some kind of mistake... You've arrested Agent Jonathan Anderson of the CIA. He was working with me to subdue these rowdy English lads who came in looking for a fight because of their little Protestant friend who has an unsettled score with me."

He flashed his badge. "Agent Shannon O'Kelly, British Interpol."

The arresting officer immediately unlocked the cuffs on Jonathan's wrist, giving the younger twin the liberty of movement so he could present his badge. He flashed it, "yes, we were just dealing with these rowdy English boys."

"And this one here?" an officer asked, holding a handcuffed Tetsuya in front of him.

"Let him go. He was a bystander in this who the Cambridge group provoked." Shannon replied coolly. He didn't like Tetsuya, but he hated the English more. He wanted to see the arrogant indignant looks upon their smug faces as the handcuffs were removed from the guy's wrists.

After the last of the ten English tourist were escorted out, one off the senior officers turned to Shannon and Jonathan. "Our English speaking officers don't have night shifts. We need a pair of translators."

Shannon shook his head. "I can't on principle. They attacked us because Agent Anderson and I are Catholic. So, it would be against our moral and ethical beliefs on a personal level. Further, we are off duty right now, and we don't have a need to help racists."

The other senior officer present blinked and leaned in and whispered something to his colleague.

The one who had been addressing Shannon tilted his head and nodded. He then requested, "Agent O'Kelly, would you and Agent Anderson might joining us at the local precinct. We would like to ask you two questions about something strange that happened here two years ago."

'Oh shit!'

'What the hell do you mean by 'oh shit', Shannon?' Jonathan snapped, picking up on his twin's line of thought.

'I mean – 'oh shit' is what I mean.' Shannon retorted, and sighed. 'I think I know what they want. I'll be going alone. This has nothing to do with you, and ironically, the me that was here isn't this mean…'

'You mean… How the hell did you get to come here then? Didn't it cause some disturbance in the balance of time and space? And if it was two years ago why did we all get our memories earlier?' Jonathan wondered, a frown of concern caressing his features.

'My only guess is preordained destiny. Now, go home and don't tell Yui about this.'

'Shannon, I'm not letting you go alone!'

Shannon shook his head and turned back to the officers. "Actually, I think you just want to talk to me, my brother wasn't here at that time. He was in America."

'But…Shannon! It wasn't you…you! That was here two years ago…'

Shannon smiled at his brother. "Actually, yes, I was here before they found the book. I looking for the book and finding it blank.'

'Blank? What do you mean blank?' Jonathan asked. He gazed at his twin quizzically, as his brother turned his back to him.

"In that case, Agent, we have no choice but to arrest you…"

"Wait, Mikage… We can't just arrest him. We have no warrant, and it seems that he not only looks like that kid, but he also has a twin, which means it is entirely possibly that it was a third guy we're dealing with!'

The elder officer objected with a shake of his head. "But he volunteered to come down."

Sighing sharply, Shannon snapped his fingered, summoning the Ryuuseisui. "Is this perhaps the weapon that you seek? Oh, and yes, there are only two of us, me and my brother, and yes, I was here two years ago; twice in two different forms. My first incarnation and now this form… Shall I refresh your memory or…"

He laughed softly, though quite evilly. "But, it seems asinine to arrest a dead guy, doesn't it? The courts won't buy it will they…especially if there was no warrant in the first place and evidence shows that there was nothing gathered from the crime scene, except for a touch of DNA and finger prints on the bow that remained."

Tetsuya glowered angrily. Shannon was such a manipulative bastard!

He decided to speak out. "You should arrest him! I was there; I was a witness to his attack on Sukanami Taka, Yuuki Miaka and your officers."

In a silkily angry tone, Shannon retorted, "Yes, you were, but you were cowering in fear, and you know, Kajiwara, it's not kind to bite the hand that does you a favour. I could very well get you arrested and sent to a nice overnight cell with those English boys…but I didn't. Now, stop being a pain in the ass and get the hell out of here! And Yui is mine!"

Tetsuya stepped back. He hated it when he was challenged like this. Shannon knew all too well how to get under his skin. He glared hatefully at him, only to have Shannon titter mockingly at him and pat him on the cheek before walking by him icily, Jonathan trailing loyally behind him.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Tetsuya spat angrily after a moment of silence.

Officer Mikage shook his head. "I know that expression too well. The last time I saw that look was when we made the arrest on that illegal religious cult. I knew there was something strange about that Agent…"

Going to protest again, Tetsuya found a hand over his mouth.

"Ah, sorry officers! My friend here has had too many drinks and one too many fights for the night. We'll be leaving you now." Keisuke remarked sweetly. "Come Tetsuya…"

Pulling Tetsuya out, Keisuke tried to prevent any more unnecessary publicity that might land them in the overnight custody cell. That's where all the unruly citizens were kept. He had nightmares about that place when he was a kid, and didn't want to spend any time there.

Further up the street and disappointed that their drink had been so rudely interrupted, the twins stood against the wall of a shop closed for the night, staring at each other, piss bored out of their minds.

Poking his brother, Jonathan whined, "What are we going to do now? I'm bored! And I'm not going into another pub tonight! God…I'm so fucking drunk!" He slumped against his brother, giggling madly, while Shannon sighed, refraining from telling his twin: "told you so".

His eyes lit up mischievously. "There's a cab there…we could go home…"

"And put you in the cold shower." Shannon replied flatly. "I'm not going to tonight; you're wasted and it'd be too easy for me to take severe advantage of you. Besides, you suck at sex when you're drunk. You giggle too much."

"No I don't…." Jonathan whined, draping himself over his twin, purring suggestively as his hand slipped down his twin's back.

"Not in public!"

"Then let's get a room!"

A low growl emitted from Shannon. "That's not the point! You're not getting any tonight! And no, don't even so sniffing around Yui – she's mine and I'm not sharing her out like a bike!"

"Perish the thought, brother. I was thinking I'd rather mess with you. I've been deprived lately, and you don't seem to be into commitment these days, so, it doesn't make a difference, does it? I'm screwed either way; so if I gotta be screwed, I want it to be a good one and not one of those mental ones." Jonathan whined, pressing himself quite suggestively against his twin, as he leaned on his brother, trying to stop himself from falling flat on his face because he was so piss drunk.

"The answer is still no!" Shannon retorted. He hated it when his brother was horny! It always meant Jonathan got his way! Well, not this time.

"But…you know you want to…"

"That isn't the point!"

He stepped away hastily, causing Jonathan to fall forward suddenly.

Luckily, Jonathan caught his balance, but not for long. He didn't fall forward; instead he fell back, landing very unceremoniously on his ass.

Rubbing his bruised back side, he stared up at his brother and wailed (his indignation shining through), "you're being such an ass! You're trying to kill me! You're so mean to me!"

"No. I just hate it when you get horny because then you're all touchy-feely!"

"So? I enjoy touching and feeling you…" he purred, forgetting momentarily about his ass.

"I said – no fucking way! How many ways to I have to tell you, not tonight!" Shannon growled, helping his pathetically incorrigible twin to his feet.

"We could twist those words around and…"

"And nothing! We're either getting you a girlfriend or porn. I'm so tired of you always being a horny bastard! You never want to when I want to, so why should I when you want to?"

"Because then your body will learn to be in sync with mine!"

"Get over yourself already, Jonathan!"

Shannon shoved his brother into the taxi that they had waved over, and then climbed in himself. Promptly giving the driver curt and simple instructions, he turned back and pushed Jonathan off him, and hissed, "Not here! Geez, you have absolutely no shame or discretion!"

"But…when we get home…" Jonathan whined, pouting.

Rolling his eyes, Shannon sighed. He hated it when his brother did this! 'He knows that I want to as much as he does! But, I can't encourage him when he's drunk. He always wants to be on top when he is, and there is no way that I'm letting it happen; only when hell freezes over will he ever get to be on top. I will not ever let him, come hell or high water!'

Jonathan was decently behaved (aside from being noisy and giddy), until they managed to get out of the taxi and into the studio flat that was shared.

Wasting no time, Jonathan cornered his brother, pressing him against the wall next to the entrance after they had closed the door behind them, kissing him deeply and passionately. Yes, he was drunk as hell, but that didn't make this any less meaningful.

"This sucks…I hate clothing. Let's pretend this is a nudist colony…" Jonathan purred against his brother's lips, his hands moving down Shannon's back greedily.

Shuddering a growl, Shannon nibbled on his brother's bottom lip. "Then stop talking about it, and let me move the hell out of the hall way. I can do a better job when I can attach you to something so you can't move."

Pushing his brother to the floor, Jonathan straddled him confidently. "You're always on top, and I'm sick of it! I'm riding this time, and you can't do anything about it!"

"Sure I can!" Shannon bucked, and successfully threw his twin off.

He stood up and winked. "If you want any; I'm on top, and you're the one who's screwed. Period."

Groaning, Jonathan pouted, sulking. "That is not fair! I want to ride!" He gazed up, giving his twin plaintive, simpering eyes.

He then got up and stumbled after his twin. 'Damn…why did he let me drink so much? Oh, I'm going to have such a fucking hangover tomorrow…but, at least the rest of the night will be productive…' he chuckled evilly.

Laying flat on his back, Shannon stared up at the dark ceiling. It felt good to lie on his back, even though he knew it wouldn't last long. His brother was in a relentless mood.

He was pounced within seconds of his thoughts transverse his psyche.

"So…you can't get away from me that easily! I don't want to play your mind games. Instead, we're playing my physical games, and you're the one being tied up, brother dear and there is nothing you can do about it…" Jonathan purred, holding his twin's hands down by bracing against his twin's wrists.

Shaking his head, Shannon winked at Jonathan quite suggestively.

"Little brother, you are sorely mistaken. You can't be getting your way…" he hissed.

Ignoring his brother, Jonathan nibbled on his brother's neck. "But, it's more fun for both of us when I can get my way, since it makes everything all the better…" He ran his hands down the straight firm lines of his twin's form. "The exploration is also…"

"It only works when you don't do anything on top…" Shannon sighed softly. He knew his twin was good at breaking down his resistance. He tilted his head back.

Giggling, Jonathan made himself at home, and quickly divested his twin of the offending shirt and pants (after taking care of his). He purred. "This is good… See, it's not so bad. You always screw me over…now you're on the business end of the cock…"

"You're a hentai…" Shannon whispered. He wanted top push his twin off and straddle him. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn't like being on the bottom (unless he wasn't actually on the receiving end).

Nibbling, Jonathan nuzzled against his twin's neck. "What's the matter…you normally have thrown me off by now…and I'm getting screwed over…"

"I could…but…" Shannon whispered, dropping his head to the side. He never let his twin have his way; it was delightfully refreshing to not try and dominate the situation.

Appreciating the chance not to get stuck being tied down to serve his twin's bondage fetish, Jonathan then smirked. He reached over to the night table and pulled out a pair of handcuffs and fastened them around his twin's wrist.

Whispering he suggestively remarked, "It's nothing like the Ryuuseisui…but it does do the job quite well…"

Pulling on them, Shannon snorted. He didn't much care for them, but, it did seem to satisfy his love of bondage. He smirked to himself. 'So, this is what it's like on the other end…not bad. Though…I can't trust him to do this well when piss drunk.'

'Hmn, so he's not fighting me. This is a refreshing change. I like being on top. In fact, I could get used to this…' Jonathan thought, as he wordlessly made himself at home, after ridding his twin of the offending boxer shorts that sat between him and his mission objective.

He wasn't as experienced as his twin when it came to top behaviour, but if he had learned anything – which he had certainly had – it wasn't too difficult a task. Of course, Jonathan was assuming that his twin was responsive in the same erogenous zones.

In assuming, he made one mistake – his twin, despite being receptive to some of this, wasn't entirely receptive in the same way as Jonathan.

It was only a split second.

In Jonathan's mind, nothing was amiss. His twin wasn't squawking, which was a good sign; it meant he was doing something right.

But, his interpretation proved to be wrong. He didn't have a chance to register. Their lips had first met in a deep fiercely passionate kiss before Jonathan pulled away, and went to make the final move and push into his twin.

Penetrating, he nuzzled against his twin's neck, whispering something that didn't seem to make any sense in his more than slightly-drunken haze.

Unfortunately, something was triggered deep in the darkest regions of the forgotten, or wish-to-be forgotten memories that lay strewn about subterranean in the nether regions of Shannon's disturbed memory sector.

Panic sprung to life, sending electric pulses of alarm lancing his body.

His twin was immediately thrown across the room via telekinesis, and slammed with a resounding dull though sharp thud into the wall. He then crumpled to the floor.

Lying on his back, Shannon stared straight up at the ceiling through the dim room, his breathing rapid; fear and hate dancing in his eyes. Time didn't seem to move as he stared up, his chi flickering, filling with negative energy.

He flinched, and turned over onto his side, groaning. 'Fuck!' It hurt like hell. Time was no doctor! Pain knew no remorse, nor did it know when to give up.

Doing the only thing he could think of, he rolled off the bed and reached over for his jacket and pulled out his pen knife and drew it aggressively across his wrist. That evened out the anguish that cursed him.

Dropping it, he stood up, and seconds later, behind the locked door in the sanctuary of the cold embrace of the icy water that trickled down onto him, stood underneath the sheeting water. He didn't know what else to do. Self-induced mutilation and pain took away from that inflicted unto him by others.

Masochism was his solution to pain. He learned early on in life that no one will listen to you and even if they do, they either won't give a fuck or won't believe a single anguish filled word that poured from your mouth as you desperately tried to get help from someone you trusted and loved. No one cared and there was no one who would listen.

'Blood…blood…' he lift his wrist to his line of view. 'Cold water cleanses the impurities that pulse through my veins. The blood that pumps through my veins is cursed… the cursed blood that gives me life came from the one asshole who wanted to take it from me; take it from my brother. It's shared with those who have no compassion for life…'

He turned his face into the rush of cold water. 'They must die…they all must die… It is their fate. To be killed by me, or to suffer my wrath. Their blood will pay for their sins. Their blood will pool on the ground, cleansing them of all sin. Never again shall any of them breathe, or see the light of day. The only light they will see is that of hell when they are welcomed into the fiery embrace of Lucifer!'

Bloodlust – the taste lingered in his mouth like some sweet aftertaste. It polluted his mind, and as he looked up, the walls seemed to be dripping with blood. Where the drops of water once splattered and streaked from, crimson blood now graced.

He gazed at his hands. They too were covered in blood. 'Yes…it is their blood I will soon have on my hands, but, that blood will be the key to my freedom. No one ever listened to me…and now they will all pay.'

His eyes, dancing with untamed hatred caressed the wall. 'The walls weep blood for those who will soon bleed like the stuff pigs they are! They will not know what hit them!'

Laughing softly, though evilly to himself, he stepped out of the icy rush of water, he turned to the mirror, and glared at it hatefully. It reflected back at him the image of self-loathing.

Growling, he drove his fist straight into it, shattering the glass.

The shards fell to the floor, exploding into millions of tiny pieces as it rained around his fist, from which he bled.

He pulled his fist back and picked out the pieces of glass that were stuck, and dropped them to the floor, completely ignoring the pain. The pain was refreshing from that of his memories were alive and well proving that he was still trapped in the past no matter how much he believed he had escaped from it. He was still trapped.

He hated speaking of it; he believed that it would show he was still there, but, in reality, the suppression of it made it all the worse and it came out in the form of self-mutilation, which was more of a sport now.

His tongue lashed out, licking his index finger.

He smirked. 'Blood…it shall taste all the more sweeter when it is theirs…'


	26. Chapter 26

Flash of Life

**Flash of Life**

_Regret life  
Since the day  
He met you  
Yes I do  
And I want  
To make him  
Take back all  
That he took from you  
Yes I do_

(_Just For_, Silver Side Up, Nickelback)

Picking a stone off the ground, a tall but lanky eleven year old boy glared at it and chucked the stone through the window of a house. He smirked to himself. It felt good to inflict misery unto others. Why should people be happy? God wasn't happy, so it was a sin for anyone to be happy. They could only be happy when they were in the eternal bliss of heaven – provided they were a filthy sinner or a Protestant.

Pocketing another one he found, he tossed his braided hair back. His father hated the fact that he insisted on not cutting his hair, even though his bangs fell in his face, always obscuring his vision, blocking his eyes. But, the boy preferred it that way. He felt his eyes were the window into his soul and it was unacceptable for anyone to see in.

Then again, why should they? If they saw anything, they wouldn't believe it. No one believed anything he said. He was dismissed as being slanderous. No one gave him any credit. Why should anything chance after almost six years.

He then felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around defensively, pulling out his knife. "Do you want a fucking knife in the gut, 'cause that's what you're gonna get if you don't bloody leave now!" he snarled, brandished the blade.

The rather short man laughed uproariously. "I should've called the police on you boy. You put your stone through my window back there, and now you have the gall to threaten me? You should know better than to harass the protector of Seanchill."

"I don't fucking care who you are! You could be the bloody king and I'd still rip out your guts!" The boy made a stabbing motion and drew the blade up. "You'd bleed like a stuff pig!"

The man continued to smile. "You know what boy…I like your attitude. You remind me of a young me. What's say you put that knife away and we talk. Come in, I've got some coffee on."

"Long as it got whiskey."

"Does your father know…?"

"My father don't give a shit about me! Too busy with his politicking crap!"

"That's no way to speak of a parent." The redheaded man replied, as he led in the young boy.

A man who looked similar to the redhead, though had raven black hair looked up from sipping tea. "Who's this young lad, Kory?"

The redhead, who answered to the name Kory Gallagher, replied, "just the little rapscallion that hurled that stone through the window, breaking your other cup, Cian."

"Does the boy have a name, or does he answer to one of those various euphemisms that we still use to describe the zealous youth today?" Cian replied. He smiled softly at the boy.

Cian, unlike Kory didn't wear regular civilian clothes. He wore religious attire, indicating that he was a figure head in the Catholic church.

"Well, he hasn't said anything other than some rather inflammatory remarks about his father, which I gather he resents."

"Pour the boy a cup of tea. I'd like to speak to him." Cian, or rather, Father Gallagher replied. He motioned for the boy to take a seat. "Hello there lad I'm Father Cian Gallagher. I don't recognise you from my congregation. Who's your Father?"

"Father Sullivan." The boy replied bluntly.

Kory returned with the coffee he had promised the young man, and nodded at his brother Cian, who asked, "Kory, may I have time alone with the lad?"

Agreeing, Kory left, muttering something about having an errand to run for his wife, who was out at her parent's house with their two children.

"Oh, I know Brother Sullivan. Very nice fellow; deeply devout, and a kind-hearted man." Father Gallagher remarked as he turned back to the boy as Kory left. "Tell me young man, what's your name?"

"Padráig." The young man replied, not bothering to push the offending sandy brown hair from his face, which continued top shield his deep and disturbed blue eyes.

"So, can I assume that you don't have a last name, Padráig?" Father Gallagher replied, mirth dancing in his placid brown eyes.

Padráig snorted disdainfully. "Sure I got one. But then it's just one more thing that I share with my dad. I don't even got my own name, and my brother got his own. I hate my name; I hate it!"

"Padráig, hatred is such a strong concept." Father Gallagher replied concernedly, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Surely you don't have such hatred in your heart."

"It's the only thing I know Father." Padráig whispered his expression grim. He paused. "But, I do have memories of a blond haired girl that I once loved and protected. I guess it's just a weird dream I've been having since I was six."

"You do know…" the Father said smiling. "Tell me more."

Padráig stared in awe. He had never imagined that anyone would listen to him about this. Even Father Sullivan dismissed it as nothing more than a childish fantasy.

"You believe me?"

"Dreams are God's way of giving you a message, whether it is good or bad."

Nodding, Padráig gazed down at his hands, his fingered intertwining. "I don't think it's a dream. It's memories, Father; memories of an earlier life. I had flashbacks even when I wasn't sleeping."

"The Buddhists believe in reincarnation. Their god, Buddha is believed to have been reincarnated in many tangible forms. So, maybe it is possible for any one of us to have the same experience. Maybe the Lord put some of us back on the earth to serve a greater purpose." Father Gallagher replied. He clasped his hands. "Go on…"

"Well…the girl was a priestess from this world. I was a Seishi in another time period. I think it was Ancient China. I was given powers that I still can use…" Padráig replied, as he unclasped a fist, revealing a strange whirling weapon that sprung to life out of his hand.

The ball rose up, bringing with it a long section of rope before the other ball followed.

"In my memories, it was called 'Ryuuseisui'… Star shooting spindle."

Padráig paused and let it wrap around his forearm. "It is my most basic skill. I can make use of telekinesis. Every day I find it getting stronger. I even feel like my chi is too strong."

He didn't smile as he added. "I share my body with my other self, the one then called Seiryuu Seishi Suboshi."

Father Gallagher didn't speak as Padráig pushed up the sleeve on his left arm, revealing a glowing character.

"Even when it goes away, it still shows up. It's a scar…"

Nodding, Father Gallagher's expression grew serious. "If you don't mind, while I would like to learn more, may I ask, do you have any other scars? And not physical…but emotional? Looking into your eyes, I see something more than you let on. You act tough, but you hurt don't you? "He asked, reaching over parting the long bangs that fell in the boy's face, shrouding his eyes.

"No I don't!" Padráig spat angrily, his eyes burning with tears. "I'm not hiding nothing!"

"Yes you are, young man." Father Gallagher replied. "I listened to you speak of these memories, which I find fascinating, if not possibly true. Now, why don't you tell me what is really bothering you. I heard the way you spoke to my brother Kory. Such bitterness isn't suited to one so young, unless something happened…"

"Nothing happened and I ain't telling you nothing!" Padráig retorted pulling back and aggressively rising to his feet. "And even if I did, you'd do nothing like everyone else! No one ever listened and no one ever helped me! Why should this be any fucking different? No one helped me when I was six; no one helped me now! Even my own father left me to fend for myself when they preyed on me!"

Tears fell down his cheeks. They burned in his eyes, as painful recent and earlier memories flooded his mind, searing into his heart. His bottom lip trembled. "No one ever fucking helped! The only that helps if they fucking died! I hate them! I HATE THEM ALL!! They fucking deserve to go to hell like the fucking sodomites they fucking are!"

He dropped to his knees, his body shaking. "It hurts! I God…it fucking hurts! It won't go away. The tearing…the pain. So much pain. I can't walk when I think of it. They hurt me when they did it!"

As his temper flared, the room violently quaked. The lights exploded in bursts of electricity and glass. The cups on the table burst into millions of pieces. Dust fell from the ceiling. Small and large objects floated around, gaining momentum. The windows shattered, and the floor was alive with rippling waves as the planks of the wooden surface rocked unevenly.

"Damn them! Damn them all to fucking hell!" Padráig cried, his body quivering severely. He then let out a short scream, and as the last of the windows shattered, the glass flew toward him quickly, and raining over him, shredded his skin.

From the open cuts, blood dripped to the floor.

"Dear Lord…" Father Gallagher whispered to himself, instinctively crossing himself. Never had he seen such an explosion of a temper. And the use of such power. "_In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti_…"

Then, within the next second, as the young man's pain grew, festering off the force of his temper, a nearby lighter that sat on the table blasted apart, the flammable liquid immediately mating with the toxic fluid that polluted the table. The fluid on the table was coffee mixed with whiskey. It instantly caught on fire, and due to the force of the chi that now surrounded Padráig, the flames took life by the reigns and wreaked havoc, creating a microcosm of hell.

The flames licked at Padráig who just sat, shaking, tears still streaking his face. He didn't notice anything except the pain that danced within him.

The last thing he felt was the smoke entering his nose before he passed out…

The first thing she had heard was a loud resonating crash as something of a sizable weight was hurled against the wall at an incredible speed. She listened again for something else and heard nothing except for the proceeding sound of rushing water that came from the bathroom.

She lay in her bed for a minute, waiting for the sound of voices, and she heard nothing. Concerned, she got up and pulled down her night shirt, or rather the nightshirt she had borrowed so that it was no longer above her waist.

Pushing her messy hair back from her face, she stretched back as she walked into the adjacent room curious as to why there was such a terrible noise so late. She hadn't expected the twins to be back so soon. At that, she didn't expect to find one of them unconscious on the floor.

Hearing him moan, she rushed over, as he turned to face her, a she sat up. "Ow…fuck…what the hell just fucking happened? Damnit, my head feels like it's been bashed in with a sledge hammer!"

"Jonathan…what happened?" Yui asked, as she knelt next to him, helping him sit up, ignoring the fact that he was naked, though under normal circumstances she'd be appreciating what she was seeing.

He groaned and held his head. "I have no idea… All I remember is feeling Shannon panic and getting hurled across the room."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know…"

"How do you feel? How badly did it hurt?" Yui asked, whispering softly, as she brushed hair back from his face. "Do you need ice or anything?"

"I don't know…my whole body feels like it's bursting with electricity…" Jonathan moaned, falling against Yui for support. "I need either aspirin or a fucking bullet through the head. This is the worst pain I have ever been fucking in and I've been fucked over badly before, and that was a bitch…though nothing compared to pissing off Shannon to some degree."

"I hate it when you use vague English! My English is ok, but it's not good with imagery and other aspects like slang." Yui replied, stroking his head. She then stood up and tried to help him up. "Either get dressed or cover up. Do you want to go out to the living room or want me to bring it in here?"

"The couch would probably be a better place to go… That way I'm close to the kitchen if I get hungry…"

"Stop thinking with your stomach!"

Jonathan pouted. "But it helps relieve the pain…" He groaned again and fell over. "It fucking hurts! What the hell is his fucking problem? Damnit…listen to me – I sound like him now. Fuck…it hurts!"

"Then get in bed and I'll bring you the aspirin and water. Need a pack of ice?" Yui asked, gingerly touching the small but notable lump on the back of Jonathan's head.

He winced. "I'll go sit on the sofa. I mean, it's almost morning. And, I don't want to be in here if Shannon comes back in, especially if I've won his ire."

Nodding, Yui stood up, Jonathan grunting, falling listlessly to the floor. "Aw…fuck, this hurts so damn much! A hangover would be better than this! I'm going to die! Oh every merciful god…Lord, God, Allah, Buddha, Shiva… ZEUS!! ….uh…Seiryuu?"

"You're asking Seiryuu for help? He only cares about his damned scaly ass!" Yui snidely quipped. "Why else would I be drafted to summon his damned brothers so that Tenkou can play his mind games with us? At least pray to one of the non-existent atheist gods… God ain't going to help you."

"YUI! I'm fucking dying here and that is the only thing you can say to comfort me?" Jonathan, doing a perfect mimic job of a wounded baby seal, with his plaintive howling wail.

"It's your own damn fault if you pissed him off…" she retorted, rolling her eyes as she left the room, Jonathan reaching out to grab the hem of her night shirt.

Whining, he fell back and moaned loudly, with an emphasis put on the whiney tone of his moan. "I'm fucking dying and that is all you say!"

"Jonathan, you are employed by the CIA, at least act like it!"

"My head feels like it's gonna bust from all this damn pain!"

"Stop your whining before I put you out of your misery!"

He pouted sullenly. "You're so mean!"

"Either get back to bed or onto the sofa." Yui ordered and left the room, pulling down her nightshirt as she walked from the room.

Deciding he didn't need any more physical punishment for something he didn't recall having done, Jonathan put on the first pair of boxers and pants he could find and headed out for the couch. He snatched up a discarded t-shirt on his way out and pulled it over his head as he walked the length of the hall.

Coming to the end, he stopped, leaning against the wall, a soft groan of pain escaping him. He had one hell of a headache. The shot he had taken to the head proved itself to be more lethal than one of those hangovers he got if he drank too much with his brother, which seemed to happen every time they went out at night.

He had stopped to catch his breath. He could still feel the effects of the chi coursing his blood. 'It's like electricity! I've never felt someone else's chi beneath my skin! This is fucking horrible!'

Behind him came no sound though a set of feet plodded softly along the floor.

Jonathan went to move but instead froze as he felt a fist jam in itself into his gut.

Crying out, he fell forward, collapsing against his brother who stepped back, causing him to fall to the floor, curling up into a protective foetal position.

Snorting derisively, Shannon stepped over his twin, resentment glittering dully in his eyes; though only visible in one as damp hair fell over the other.

Flipping his hair out of his out of his face, he raised his other hand and placed a pair of glasses on. He had been feeling lazy and had decided against his contact lenses.

Placing the glasses on, he coolly stepped over his twin, who lay on the ground, moaning.

'Waaah!" Jonathan wailed loudly and as pathetically as he could. "You're so fucking mean! Why me…why? Why are you doing this? I don't need this kind of abuse! Waaah! You're so damn mean! I didn't do anything! I'm innocent."

He grunted gutturally as he felt Shannon firmly placed a foot on his back. "Innocent you say? Dare I say, that if I believed you, I wouldn't feel the need to kill you, would I? But, you know what, I'm going to."

"I AM!" Jonathan bemoaned dramatically. "YOU'RE THE ONE BEING MEAN! AND YOU'RE WEARING FUCKING STEEL-TOED SHOES!"

"There's nothing wrong with your vocal cords." Shannon replied icily. "Too bad I couldn't do something about that without killing you, though; it is my only option now."

Crying mournfully, Jonathan squirmed and whimpered. "Can't you be merciful? For the love of God, Shannon, doesn't that fucking bible of yours say to do unto others as they unto you, and yadda yadda…all that kind of pretentious crap about loving thy neighbour et cetera…?"

"Yes, it does. It says a lot of things. And it doesn't say I can't make you pay for your sins, Anderson." Shannon hissed scathingly.

From the kitchen, Yui could only hear a portion of the conversation, and thus was rolling her eyes. Jonathan was being unnecessarily melodramatic. 'He's got a pair of lungs on him…' she amused as she finished putting the ice in a small baggy and grabbing the aspirin.

As she stepped out, she blinked as she witnessed Shannon bending over and grabbing Jonathan's head in a fistful of hair.

She went to protest but she was too late as Shannon threw him back to the ground and stepping hard on him and over toward the door, where the bag containing his laptop sat.

Reacting quickly, Yui put down what she was holding and reaching under the couch (after learning of the secret stash of arsenal), and pulled out a nice handgun; an American make. She cocked it, ensuring it was loaded and turned to Shannon. "Freeze or I'll fire!"

He stopped and smirked. He coldly remarked, "Oh, you're going to shoot me? Oh, sure, why not? You've done it once before already. What difference does it make? Hell, it might even put me out of my miserable existence, since suicide has never worked for me; not in the last ten years, not even once."

Glaring at his back, Yui's mind worked swiftly. She didn't want to shoot him; he didn't care. But, she needed to stop him. After all, just pointing the gun and threatening to shoot didn't seem to work, as he was retrieving his bag as he finished talking. 'He's impossible to deal with…'

"Shunkaku…"

She arched an eyebrow quizzically and turned to Jonathan who had pulled himself up from the ground, his body shaking, emphasising the pain that coursed his being.

"Shun…what happened? Why are you being like this?" he whispered.

Shannon froze. He hadn't been called that in a long time. "I…I…"

"Shunkaku, please, don't do this. Come back. I love you…and I want to know what I did…" Jonathan replied as he walked over, holding himself up using the wall for support.

"Koutoku…I…I…it's not all your fault. You stirred negative memories…"

He dropped the bag.

Smiling weakly, Jonathan reached out, embracing his twin from behind. "I never wanted to hurt you…" He whispered gently.

His eyes opened sharply. Panicking, Shannon pushed his twin away and turned around, pressing his back to the door. "Don't fucking touch me!"

"Why not? Tell me!" Jonathan demanded, feeling incredibly hurt that he was being pushed away from his twin and not knowing why.

Yui's eyes narrowed. "Shannon, what is with you? You're…"

"I'm what?" he asked, interrupting her. "What am I?"

"You're…you're not acting normal! Any normal person would say if something is wrong! By the looks of you and how you act, I'd say you haven't spoken to anyone, other than to lash out, make a snide comment or hide your past!"

"You know what, I am. I have no reason to talk. The last time I tried, I nearly got myself ex-communicated!"

"And how long ago was that?"

"More than ten years!"

That number didn't seem right to Jonathan. He squinted at his twin, wondering why the number of years was ten and not sooner. The time period seemed too long…

His eyes caught sight of Shannon's badge, which sat on the small table at the door.

Shannon moved to the other side of the room, heading to the window, as Jonathan picked it up. He didn't know why he was doing it, but, he felt there was something odd about what Shannon was saying.

'That and I have this weird feeling that he goes by his middle name…' Jonathan thought as he opened it.

He dropped it as though he had picked up a hot coal.

Yui, still holding the gun, though not pointing it at either twin, tilted her head at Jonathan, who was white as a ghost. She didn't understand why, especially if the guy had just been reading a professional document.

"Padráig…"

Shannon's expression darkened, and his voice deepened, a masked hurt in his voice. The hurt was cloaked by a malice saturated tone. "Don't ever fucking call me that! It's bad enough that it's my bloody first name…"

Jonathan paled. "It makes sense now…" he whispered as he reached down, his hand shaking as he put the badge back on the table. He refused to look up. Guilt danced in his eyes, and a pit of emptiness opened in his gut, and a rush of red hot searing remorse pulsated through his veins.

Without thinking, he darted in front of Yui, snatching the gun from her grip, and moving in front of Shannon. Holding the gun by the barrel, he held the handle out to his brother. "Kill me. You have my permission to put a bullet through my heads; to do anything that would help rectify the problem…"

Taking, Shannon didn't seem to think at first. He cocked it and raised it, confidence in his expression, though something else hung in his eyes; almost a sullen glisten of moisture.

He then fired.

But, the shot never made it into any part of Jonathan's body.

The bullet went through the floor, as Shannon fell to his knees, his body shaking. His grip on the gun loosened. He dropped it and wrapped his arms around himself, leaning against the wall. "No…it won't help…no, not killing you… I…" he whispered, tears burning under his eyelids as he held them back.

Concerned, Jonathan knelt, wrapping an arm around his brother. "What?"

"Help me, brother…"

He blinked. He thought at first he misheard his brother. He had no idea why Shannon would even be asking for help. It struck him as very uncharacteristic. But, he wasn't going to question it; at least not now.

"What do you need me to do?"

Shannon was silent. He said nothing, as he sank against his twin. "Just don't go…"

"Are you sure you don't need anything else? Would talking help you?" Jonathan asked softly, running his fingers through his brother's hair. "It's the first step in the healing process."

"No, the first step is murdering the fucking wankers who get in your way and make your life fucking miserable." Shannon whispered sharply, his eyes snapping opening. They flared to life with fiery hatred. "Nothing but their blood, dripping in molten rivers of plasmic fluid can rectify the situation…"

"You should really try talking…" Jonathan suggested. He then shot a pointed gaze at Yui. His lips twisted into a cruel sneer. "I don't know what you're waiting for, but, get the hell out of here! You're not helping matters at all!"

She was taken back by his curtness. "I…I'm not? And you're the one who…"

"Go do something else! This is NOT anything you'd understand! You're just a sheltered little girl! And whatever 'experience' you got from going to the other world isn't enough to generate an understanding of what hell truly is!"

She felt her heart sink into the yawning void of her stomach. She only wanted to help. She wanted to feel wanted. She loved both of them equally, and didn't want to see either one of them hurt. But, it was her who was being hurt now, by Jonathan's scathing piercing words.

Shutting her eyes, she suppressed the tears that burned under her eyelids. A retort had sat on the tip of her tongue until hit biting tone had sunk into her heart.

"Go do something else! This is NOT anything you'd understand! You're just a sheltered little girl! And whatever 'experience' you got from going to the other world isn't enough to generate an understanding of what hell truly is!"

She felt her heart sink into the yawning void of her stomach. She only wanted to help. She wanted to feel wanted. She loved both of them equally, and didn't want to see either one of them hurt. But, it was her who was being hurt now, by Jonathan's scathing piercing words.

Shutting her eyes, she suppressed the tears that burned under her eyelids. A retort had sat on the tip of her tongue until hit biting tone had sunk into her heart.

She sighed. "I…I'll go back to bed or take a shower or something…" she whispered meekly.

Casting a short glance at the clock on the wall that hung next to the front door, she groaned softly. She had to get ready soon. The student council like to meet early in the morning sometimes, and given the distance she had to travel from here, she knew she had to get ready within the next thirty minutes.

Yui didn't appreciate being shut out in such an aggressive manner. If she had known what was wrong, she wouldn't feel this way, but when both of them shut her out, she felt unwanted.

Disrobing, she let it slide down her arms, rippling down at her feet. Stepping out of the fabric she pulled the towel from the edge of the tub and set it down as the bathmat. Spotting a towel on the rack just to her right, she nodded and turned back to the shower, parted the curtain and stepped in. She reached down and turned on first the cold water then the hot water taps, fiddling with them until the temperature was adequate. Pulling the curtain shut, she pulled the small trigger on the facet and stood, her eyes closed as warm water spewed over her, rushing down.

The twins were too unstable sometimes, she thought to herself, as she took out the face cloth that hung from the shower tray. 'One goes over the edge, the other follows. They are a pair of lemmings! Why can't they function separate from each other? It's not healthy. Of course, but, like it's been pointed out…what do I know? I'm just the stupid girl that can't pick between them!'

Her melancholy had switched over to bitterness within seconds of being under the hot water.

'No! I can't start thinking like that! I don't know what happened, so I can't judge! It'd not be right for me to judge when I don't know what happened…' she shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts that ate at her conscience.

Sighing, she reached over for the soap, and creating a thick lather on the washcloth, she placed the bar on the edge of the tub and started to clean herself, beginning with her face. She shut her eyes tightly to prevent the soap from stinging her eyes.

She moved the lathered up cloth over her body, cleaning up before she rinsed herself off underneath the hot flow of water from the showerhead.

Running her fingers through her hair, Yui decided against shampooing. She could do that tomorrow when she had time for a long soothing bath. There was no point if she was in a hurry for school.

Bending down she turned off the trigger on the facet, and then turned off the two taps.

Parting the curtain, she stepped onto the bathmat and dried herself quickly and swept her robe up in her arms, placing it on and loosely tying the sash at her waist, she took the towel and wrapped it around her damp hair.

"NO! NO FUCKING GODDAMN WAY!"

She arched an eyebrow. Jonathan did have a set of lungs on him, and he voice, unlike Shannon's carried very well, even when he wasn't bellowing like a wounded buffalo.

She shook her head. She wasn't going to touch this with a ten foot pole. She knew her position in this, and if Jonathan sank himself, he probably deserved whatever Shannon was doing to him…

Towel-drying her hair, she continued to hear through her door the one side of the exchange.

"Don't give me that fucking look! There is no way in hell I'm going to!"

She smiled and shook her head as she dried off the rest of her body before throwing the towel on the bed and getting her underwear and bra out from the dresser. Hooking the bra and pulling on the underwear, she gazed up, expecting to hear the latest retort. She enjoyed hearing only one side. She could only imagine what Shannon could be demanding.

As she pulled on her uniform, the next of the reverberating retorts came.

"You don't get it do you? You can kill me if you have to, but, I will NOT, do this! It's a bloody crime! No, it's worse – it's a bloody conspiracy! You're mind is fucking sick!"

Grabbing her tie, Yui couldn't resist it any more. She was dying to know what Shannon was saying.

Scurrying out to the living room, she spotted Shannon lounging on the chesterfield. It was obvious Jonathan had put his twin there.

"You don't seem to understand, dear brother…" Shannon said, as he twirled a blade in his hand. "Your little pretty ass is saved the agony of being brutally massacred by me, and all you have to do is help me in my little postal mission."

"That's a bloody felony! Shannon! You're going to get caught! Hell, I'm going to get caught! I have enough of a criminal record without adding your planned homicidal rampage to it!"

"Your criminal record is insignificant next to mine. What's a murder charge or two?"

Jonathan's eyes bugled at his twin's utter contempt for another human life. He really didn't understand how his brother could live like that.

"There is no way I'm adding that to my list!"

"You already murdered when you were fourteen…"

"That was self-defence and you gave me the bloody gun!"

"Aren't there already several instance of public disturbances listed on yours? As well, as being not only a threat to yourself but a threat to the public?"

"And reckless driving, drinking underage and smoking underage… But, that's it!"

"That is so pathetic! What the hell are you worried about? Now, look, it's either you life and theirs, or just theirs…what's it going to be?"

"You're a fucking son of a bitch!"

"So, I'll take it that you're going to abet."

Yui stood offset and out of Shannon's line of vision. She could believe what he was saying. He did have that about him. But, she didn't approve of it, no matter what had happened!

"And I'll take the fall. Besides…what's twenty murder charges, anyway? I already have a dozen terrorist charges, three conspiracy charges, one abet charge, two trafficking charges, five charges for carrying unlicensed fire arms, five dangerous driving charges, including driving underage…" Shannon paused for a moment. "What the hell else was there? Oh right… perjury, various threat charges, a few vandalism charges, public brawling… But, I haven't one theft charge or any of that petty crap."

Glaring at his brother, Jonathan growled, "and you're not in jail despite all of this?"

"Oh right…I forget about that bribery charge…" Shannon added after a pensive moment. "But they dropped it after I agreed to work for them. They knew it was futile to lock my sorry ass up. I'd just get out anyway."

Jonathan crossed his arms. "All the more reason for me NOT to do this."

Aching at eyebrow, Shannon smirked. "So, then you'll be enjoying the taste of your blood then…"

He summoned his Ryuuseisui and sent it gracefully over to Jonathan, who suddenly began to fret. He didn't think his brother was serious, especially after he had second thoughts about using the gun. Jonathan also thought his twin was going to be fine when he stopped shaking.

'Of course, I forgot…when he stabilises, he goes into the homicidal and suicidal phase…'

"Shannon! Don't do it!" Yui cried out, as she ran between Jonathan and Shannon's weapon. She held out her arms beside herself, blocking the path to Jonathan, as she stared straight at the other twin. "You can only kill him when you give me a good reason! Otherwise, there is no reason to! You're just being vindictive!"

Grabbing the robe, he pulled to back. "And why do I have to give you a reason?"

"Because I love him as much as I do you! I don't want you to kill him! And I hate it when you act suicidal!"

He merely smirked at her, saying nothing, but, his eyes flared daringly…


	27. Chapter 27

Art of Deceit

**Art of Deceit**

_Celeste manna paris  
Salva nos, stella maris  
Lux cecis, dux ignaris  
Solamen angelorum  
Salva nos, stella maris  
Et regina celorum _

(_Salva Nos_, Salva Nos, Medieval Babes)

He sat by the computer, his cell phone next to him. He kept glancing over at it. He was expecting a phone call. He knew it was probably just his imagination, and that everything was all right. He was bound to hear the familiar chime of his phone and the call would come in shortly.

"Theo, it's late. If he was going to call, he would have already done it." His soft-spoken girlfriend remarked, as she rubbed her eyes, walking into the living room of their one-bedroom apartment they shared. "Come to bed. Let's wait until morning."

"No…he was supposed to call… I can't sense his chi. But, I guess the lack of chi might be due to him being halfway across the world. But…still, he always calls." Theodor Dietrich insisted, turning a stern gaze to his girlfriend, Elisabet Schuldich. "And God help if either of those assholes killed him! There will be hell to pay!"

She sighed and clutched her cross. "I know…but, let's just wait until morning. There is no point in depriving ourselves of sleep over worrying."

"I know Lis, but…I mean he's our friend." Theodor replied, placing the cell phone in his pocket, as she set her hands on his shoulders, gently massaging.

"Yes, I understand. He was your best friend then, and he is still." She acknowledged. She paused and then sagely added, "You know, we fought senseless battles then, and we fight it now. Don't you ever pause for a moment and wonder if these promises are really worth our time? I mean, even a loving god like Suzaku didn't fulfil the promises of Suzaku no Miko. So, why should we believe the elaborate and eloquent lies of the devil?"

"Byakko betrayed us…"

"No, Tenkou destroyed Byakko, just like the others… Except for Seiryuu, and there must be a reason. Look at who has joined up. The majority of the reincarnated Seiryuu Seishi resisted, including the strongest member of their kind. And, we both know that the one girl, that did join, she only did it because of the blond asshole."

"Lis, while that may be a valid point, the overall purpose has to been to unite everyone under a single force. Lord Tenkou has promised such things."

"But his plans are coming at the cost of lives! First it was Aaron, now it could be you!" Elisabet cried out, fearing the worst if they were the next group sent out to take out the goliath.

Theodor shook his head. "His possible death hasn't been in vain! You said so yourself, before that he is probably fine, now you're saying he might be dead!" He glared at her.

"Well…I didn't mean it like that!" She retorted, feeling slightly hurt, but quickly added, "However, this is being done at the cost of our lives! The others haven't lost theirs! Only two of them have! To them we're sitting ducks! Everyday shouldn't be dominated by thoughts of: 'will I live to see tomorrow?' It's not right."

"We will if you stop thinking like that." Theodor coolly replied.

Growling in disapproval, Elisabet flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You're not seeing the severity of this!"

His eyes narrowed. "You're being unreasonable."

She snorted scornfully at her, his eyes flaring indignantly. "No, being unreasonable would be leaving, which I am, Theodor. I'm tired of this fighting! We didn't have a moment of peace in our last lives, and those lives have spilled over into this one. I'm tired of it."

With that, she pivoted and left the room.

Theodor chalked her behaviour up to pre-menstrual syndrome. When women acted strangely, PMS was always the answer. Sure this was a sexist way to think, but this was normal with her, as far as he knew.

Fed up with a lack of calls, he flipped open his Sony Ericsson and hit the speed dial for Aaron's cell phone.

It rang…and rang…and there was no answer. It rang some more; it rang thrice more, and still, there was no answer. It was morning over in Tokyo; surely it wasn't irrational to expect someone to answer the phone at that time of day.

Sighing he hung up.

Gazing up, Theodor was met with an unpleasant sight – Elisabet stood there, two suitcases in her hands, dressed, including her shoes and jacket. She stared blankly at him, "Goodbye, Theodor. I'm not playing host to this façade any more. I want peace and you don't understand that."

Without bothering to heed his huffy response, she headed straight for the door and left.

'She's jus trying to make a point, but she'll be back. She did this before in the last life. She went to walk out on me, but she came back in the end.'

He didn't think she was actually serious. She had a highly volatile temper and even the slightest irksome occurrence could set off the fuse. But, he was selling her short. She had been serious, and his assumptive nature was going to cost him not only her friendship but an eternity with her.

Taking his cell phone in hand, he plodded over and plopped down on the couch, and set the phone on the end table, laying his head on a throw cushion.

When morning did eventually come, he got something of a rude awakening when an unpleasant pounding resounded off the solid oak door of the apartment.

Groaning, he sat up, rubbing the cruets out of his eyes.

"I'm coming, I'm coming…" he muttered, his voice groggy.

Sighing, he cleared his throat as he opened the door.

He blinked blearily at the tall man who stood before him.

"_Artig morgen_, Herr Schwartz." He said, stepping aside so the man could enter.

"Dietrich." He nodded at Theodor.

Walking in, the man acknowledged as Herr Schwartz, or rather Karl Schwartz sat himself on one of the free chairs and waited for Theodor to sit down. The man was dressed smartly; he wore a simple business suit, white pressed shirt and a stripped blue tie, which matched his icy blue eyes nicely. He was groomed; his face was shaven. There were no whiskers present, and even if there were, they wouldn't have been obvious given he was a dirty blond.

Groaning, Theodor pushed dishevelled silverfish blond hair out of his face and unceremoniously plonked onto the couch. He cast a short glance at the older man. "What're you here about?"

Not wasting time on small talk, Karl replied curtly, "Yorck has failed to return a proper report. The only thing he has accomplished is he acquired two of the girls and they are in our custody. Other than that, he has proven himself to be a useless appendage to this mission, and has wound up dead. He was too weak against the twin hell spawn."

Theodor glared contemptuously at the man. "Don't speak of Aaron like that! You guys knew that those fucking assholes were going to kill him anyway! We should've gone as a group! Hell, why didn't you send Anderson's damned power supply after them? Atkins and Dallas are more than qualified."

"Because they aren't ready yet. They are too immature." Karl explained condescendingly. "Yorck on the other hand, was qualified. He just wasn't qualified to fight the hell spawn. But, he did kill one of their kin. He got O'Kelly."

"I thought you said the hell spawn killed him…?"

"There are two O'Kelly brats. My boy and O'Kelly's insignificant perverted genius boy."

Theodor appeared disinterested. "Yeah, and what's your point?"

"Neither of the targeted has died."

Theodor snorted disdainfully. "O'Kelly can't even kill himself, what makes you think any of us are going to kill him?"

"That's why we have Manley."

"Didn't he kill him?"

Karl's expression remained coolly aloof. "He only killed the body. Manley is hungry for O'Kelly's blood now. He'll be the one to kill him. However, our primary concern now is not the stronger of the hell spawn, but rather his allies. One of our kin has turned on us recently. Michiko Yamato has proven to be a weak link, but, despite that, even with the death of Agent Tereshkova, they are still coming out ahead with man power."

Theodor arched a sceptical eyebrow. "Wasn't Agent Bartecelli also killed?"

"Nyosei has failed us there. According to an intelligence report given to us by Anderson's lackey men, Bartecelli and O'Kelly worked together to unravel the Tokyo stronghold, in which the main entrance and last gate is located."

Yawning, Theodor shrugged. "And what's your point?"

"They stand in our way. We need to break up this unholy alliance."

"And who's the dumbfuck being sent in?"

"You and Schuldich are highly qualified."

"She left last night. She's gone Nazi turncoat on us."

"And that is hardly my problem. It is yours, Dietrich. You still have the hell spawn to deal with. The Lord is quite disappointed with the lack of progress. Further, Atkins and Dallas are dangerously under qualified." Karl replied curtly. "So, find yourself a new team. I don't care who you pick. Draft Palmerton if need be, just leave the two feeble minded Yanks to their cushy lifestyle of puritanical oppression."

Groaning, Theodor resentfully cast a gaze at him. "You're kidding me, right? I have a job to do and you assholes are not making it any easier on me! The last thing I need is to get my ass blown up by those two bastards! Let me take Atkins and Dallas and I'll do this damn crap."

"The boys will help. Plus, their hatred of Kai doesn't hurt. It'll prevent them from displaying any form of compassion if he goes diplomatic on them."

"They are mental retards! They have the depth perception of a blind cripple and the aim of a Storm Trooper!"

"Then it is decided. You're working with the boys…or…." Karl pulled out a small but semi-automatic pistol and pointed it at Theodor's head. "I could save Tenkou the trouble and blow your brains out for insubordination."

Theodor pulled back but his golden eyes flared. He didn't want to say anything stupid while staring down the barrel of the gun, since he knew damn well he was on the business end of things.

"I'm glad you see things my way." Karl purred scathingly.

Theodor snorted dismissively. "I'm not in the mood to become a gun related death statistic." He quipped bitterly under his breath.

Placing the gun back in his shoulder holster, Karl cast a cold glance back. "They will come by, Dietrich. Be ready to go and this is no bars held."

Sneering at the suggestion, Theodor lay on his side. "Fine…I give. Not that I have a choice anyway. Though I still think you're a sadist and dealing with Anderson is mildly tolerable."

"Your priorities are misplaced, Dietrich. If you would much rather deal with Anderson, I'll happily trade you over for Atkins and Dallas who at least have competence when it come to loyalty." Karl said sternly. "Consider yourself relocated as of now. Get whatever you need. You can use the Violet Room Teleporter. It'll have three other exits. Take the LAX exit."

He stood up and went for the door. "You have an hour. Anderson will be informed of your arrival. This apartment is to remain as is. You'll have one waiting for you."

Grumbling indignantly, Theodor stood up and went to fetch his stuff but stopped mid stride. "Or…"

"Or…?" Karl prompted, his curiosity perking at the possibility of an alternative suggestion. He preferred subtle alternatives to Colonel Anderson's war tactics.

"I could join Elisabet. She'll welcome me. I'll act like I've changed over. She'll vouch for me. Sure I'll have to weave one hell of a web of lies, but…they are a trusting bunch."

"Great plan, except for one detail…"

Inclining his head, Theodor arched an eyebrow. "Yes…?"

"O'Kelly will kill you. Plain and simple. He has zero tolerance for anyone other than his twin, that girl and the few friends he's somehow managed to acquire despite his hostile nature."

"That's where Lis comes in." Theodor replied, assuring Karl of his plan, as extremely flawed as it was. "Further, I'm not going directly to O'Kelly. There are a couple of his friends who are former allies of mine. One of whom is Sukanami Taka. His girlfriend is very trusting."

Nodding, Karl pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"So, you have done your research. You're only a fraction as dimwitted as I have assumed.. Very well. Do that instead. Atkins and Dallas are on standby for backup, as are Ramirez and Palmerton."

"What about Eireanne?" Theodor inquired.

"I don't trust her."

"Why?"

"She's a damned kyuuketsuki. That and she has a relation to O'Kelly. She IS one of them. She may be working for us, but I don't trust her one bit."

"Was it because she bit you?"

"I never thought anyone would take 'bite me' so literally."

"In either case…she might make a good asset. She is his sister. If she is along, he'll open up to us."

Taking a long drag, Karl shook his head. At this point, he no longer cared. "Do whatever you want. Just get it done. We need the portal open there. With Seiryuu being protected by those degenerates, we're being set back years."

He took one drag from the fag and extinguished the smouldering ashes on the coffee table, leaving the butt for Theodor to pick up.

Grumbling, Theodor ignored the puny remains of the fag and getting together a bag, didn't bother to heed what he threw in. He had an hour and time was precious. Wasted time also meant someone would die for their inability to stick to strict hours.

In his haste, he forgot to grab his cell phone…

Stopping by the kitchenette, he picked up the landline and dialled for Eireanne O'Kelly.

After about a dozen rings, a female answered the phone, though quite rudely, and righteously so; it was, after all, the darkest hour.

"Yes…? This better be good."

Theodor's English was mediocre at best. "Eireanne, it's Theo. I need you to meet me. I need you to help with job."

"What? What the hell for? Why can't your bloody bitch do it? Oh right, she's fucking around with Aaron behind your back." Eireanne replied, answering in German. She spoke German in addition to English.

"That's a filthy lie and you know it!" Theodor snarled. "Now get off your worthless kyuuketsuki ass and meet me at the transit point."

"Why?"

"I'm fed up with the lack of action and Schwartz's patience ran out."

"So, what does this have to do with me?"

"I'd be nuts to try and kill you brother by myself."

"He can't even kill himself, what makes you think that any one of us can? And didn't Manley fuck up on this one and is in a new body because he was too trusting?" Eireanne retorted, not in the mood for such discussions.

"But now we turn the tables. Your brother will trust you, so, we can get what we need and then move in for the kill."

"Great plan…except for one detail..."

Theodor sighed, a soft growl resonating in his voice. He hated that one little catch phrase.

"My brother hates my fucking guts! His trust in me could fill a gnat's ear."

"That's not my problem. You're going to make it work."

"Tokaki! The last time you had a bright idea; it involved me having to make Subaru forgive you! And that practically cost me not only her friendship, but trust with the rest of the Byakko Seishi! Also, it nearly got me killed!"

"Cry me a river." Theodor moaned impatiently. "Just meet me at the transfer point. End of discussion." He hung up.

Over on the other end of the line, Eireanne glared resentfully at the phone and stuck her tongue out. "Let's hope I make it! If I want to…"

She slammed the receiver down. "Fuck! I am not in the mood to get a 'friendly' sibling ass kicking from Shannon… Damnit, why did Brennan have to go and get himself killed? Now I'm going to be the one who gets picked on!"

"What are you whining about? And I thought there was a house rule about no phone calls after ten o'clock." A stern female voice remarked coldly.

Turning, Eireanne came face to face with her older sister, O'Shawna.

"Spare me your crap."

"Watch your tongue, girl. I practically diapered your pathetic posterior; don't give me your lip."

"That's because you're a spinster!"

It was true; O'Shawna was nearly twenty-nine years old. Eireanne was only eighteen. The late Brennan had been barely sixteen to seventeen years old. The younger two weren't even born when Shannon had been adopted.

O'Shawna had been born when her parents, Padráig and Aíne O'Kelly were still kids themselves. Their parents had been in their very early twenties.

Shannon had been adopted after a friend of Aíne's, Aleit Vandenberg, came to her, fearing for the lives of her newborn triplets, Albrecht, Kai and Meike. The couple had decided to take in the three, but, unfortunately, it hadn't worked out.

Kai and Albrecht were born as conjoined twins, attached at the side. Meike had been separate from the two.

The separation of the twins had triggered an awakening of sorts, causing both to display a burst of chi. After they calmed, on their shoulders; Kai's left and Albrecht's right, were scars in the shape of Chinese characters.

Not knowing of Aleit's plans, the father of the triplets, her boyfriend at the time, Karl Schwartz sought to protect the daughter he had wanted and attempted to have the twin boys either killed or separated.

When Aleit went behind his back, he (supposedly) had her killed for attempting to protect what he deemed to be hell spawn.

Only one twin made to the couple; the other twin had gone mysteriously missing. At the same time, a close associate of Karl's, one Colonel Thomas Anderson, had a wife, Martha, who had given birth to a stillborn baby born. Upon request from a long time associate, Karl had passed the child onto the colonel and his wife, on the condition that before any sort of 'awakening' occurred that the boy was to be killed…

The mother figure has always been protective of her offspring and offspring that isn't hers but she raised and cared for. Her maternal instincts prevent her from wanting anything harmful to happen to her children, whether biological or not. To live with the knowledge that one's partner tried to have a child of hers killed was distressing.

To any mother it would be distressing, especially to Martha Anderson, who loved both of her children equally. She was the good mother. She didn't work; she stayed at home and cared for her children as God mandated she ought to. She was the humble housewife. She cooked, cleaned and saw no wrong in her husband, even though she knew in her heart that he had tried to kill her beloved son.

She took her mind off such things by reading the Red Book, like she was at the moment. She was boiling water in preparation for dinner as she flipped through the magazine. She had two other subscriptions. All were geared towards her homemaker career. The newest edition of the Red Book had arrives yesterday and was the one of choice to read while she cooked.

As she flipped the page, her daughter, a tall slender beauty with deep thick raven black hair and piercing brown eyes slithered gracefully into the room.

"Mom…"

Gazing up, Martha pushed down her reading glasses. "Yes, Sarah?"

Her daughter, Sarah, held out the phone. "I managed to get through to Jonathan. I know you've been worried about him for the last long while, especially after he took flight during the night months ago."

'Though I'm surprised he wanted as long as he did to leave.' Sarah added to herself. She had been a run away teen. She had left the home when she was seventeen years old. Her father had been furious that she was pregnant and not getting an abortion.

It had been years before she spoke to her parents again, leaving her mother to unnecessary fawn and fret over Jonathan, who became the victim of paranoid over-mothering. She didn't want anything to do with them until they acknowledge that she wasn't given up her child.

Her mother, Martha had come around late in Sarah's pregnancy, though their communication was practically done in secret because her father placed a communications embargo on her.

Martha gladly accepted the cordless phone from Sarah. It had been so long since Jonathan had called. He had left a very scantly note on his way out in the middle of the night, saying that he was leaving for personal reasons that no one would understand.

"Jonny!" Martha cooed happily.

On the other end, Jonathan rolled his eyes. He hated it when she contracted his name, but felt he should call her. It was only right. He knew the colonel would be at work now.

"Hi mom."

"Why did you leave me?"

He groaned and sighed. "I didn't leave you, mom. I left because…because I had personal matters to… Get that knife away from your wrist before I take it away!" He cleared his throat. "Sorry, mom. My roommate has the mental capacity of a lunatic."

"Oh dear…" Martha replied worriedly. "If he does, why are you staying there? It's not good for you, Jonny. You ought to come home. It's safer here in America. The rest of the world is a very dangerous place, what with all those Muslim terrorists, Columbian drug smugglers and communists."

Jonathan shook his head. "No, no, mom. Don't worry. I'm in a developed nation. I'm staying in Tokyo right now."

"Tokyo? Good gracious, Jonathan! That's on the other side of the planet! What on earth are you doing there? The people all speak some nonsense language. You really ought to be in an English speaking country, like Canada or America! You're not safe there."

"Mom, I'm twenty-two years old. I can go anywhere I want. Worrying and fretting isn't going to stop me from going… to take that fucking knife from you! Give me that bloody knife, Shannon!" Jonathan growled, making a lunge for his brother.

Horrified, Martha pulled the receiver away from her ear staring in disbelief. Her baby boy never used such vulgar language. He was always such a soft-spoken mild-mannered boy.

Clearing his throat, now holding the knife he confiscated from a pouting, indignant Shannon, Jonathan continued to speak to his mother. "Sorry about that, mom. Now, like I said…"

"Jonathan! Forget that! Where did you learn such…vulgar profanities? It's not polite to speak like that! Especially in Japan. Those people may be weird, but they have a fetish for good manners." Martha sternly relied, scolding him.

Through gritted teeth, he retorted calmly. "Mom, vulgarity is the only thing Shannon understands. He won't listen to reason. Now…there is no need to worry."

He really hadn't wanted to talk to her. Sarah had called him and hadn't informed him that she would be giving the phone to their mother. He had spoken to her before she announced that she was making him speak to their mother.

"Mom, can you pass the phone back to Sarah?"

"Oh, all right, Jonny. Now, be a good boy; mind your manners and pretend you care about their customs. People like it when you act like them."

"Mom, I'm not going to act pretentious."

"Just try and fit in. When in Rome, do as the Romans."

"But I'm in Japan."

"Don't argue with your mother, dear. Now, be a good boy. I love you. Do come home soon. Our neighbour's lovely daughter, Angela misses you. She is a very nice girl, the kind of girl that would make a good wife for you. She has the manners of a princess; a very lovely young lady. You really ought to have stayed and married her instead going off to do gosh know what."

Jonathan groaned. His mother was so overbearing sometimes. He had absolutely zero interest in Angela Miller. She was bossy and so very plain that she could be mistake for a piece of unpainted drywall. She had stringy greasy brown hair, sullen deep lifeless grey eyes and a shrill laugh that sent shivers down his spine.

She was the absolute opposite to Yui, who Jonathan, like his twin, considered the all-encompassing epitome of beauty, both inside and out.

"Mom, please, I really don't have any interest in Angela. I do have interest in a nice Japanese girl."

"Jonathan…that is…"

"Bye mom! I'll call soon!" He cut her off.

"Wait!"

But he didn't, he hung up, slamming the phone down.

"AARGGH!! That woman is so infuriating!"

Shannon, who had acquired his knife back while Jonathan was momentarily distracted, gazed up. "Why? Is she over mothering your pathetic ass?"

"That's not funny!" Jonathan growled.

"I wasn't laughing…"

Glaring at his twin, Jonathan folded his arms. "You were so!"

Before Shannon could make a smarty pants retort, there was a knock on the door.

"I ain't getting it."

Sighing, Jonathan got up and went for the door.

Parting it, he gazed out, his eyes laying upon a petit woman, who while appeared to be young was in her late forties. She had pale blond hair that was tied back in a French braid. Her eyes were a striking deep pale blue. Her skin was a flawless alabaster. She adorned an elegant business suit. It was a plain burgundy, but still stylish.

She spoke. "Hello, I'm seeking either Séamus or Shannon O'Kelly." She requested in German.

Jonathan blinked and shot over his shoulder at Shannon. "Get off your lazy ass. There is some woman here who speaks German!"

"Tell her to go to hell."

"Tell your brother he isn't polite." The woman replied, her words coated with a thick accent.

Jonathan blinked dumbly at her. "You speak English?"

"Yes. I'm quite surprised you don't speak German." She paused, peering closely at him. "Séamus?"

Jonathan eyed her. She was odd. "No, my name is Jonathan; Jonathan Anderson."

She clasped her hands, her expression becoming pensive. "Oh dear…so it is true." She turned her eyes up. "May I come in, I'd like you speak with you and Shannon."

"Uh…sure…" Jonathan replied, stepping out of the way.

Walking in, she remarked, "It was quite difficult to track you both down. Shannon leaves no paper trail. If not for the UK Embassy records, I wouldn't know where he was. As for you, you too do a good job of covering your tracks."

Sitting up, Shannon glared at the woman. "What the hell do you want?"

Pleased he wasn't addressing her in English, she replied, "to talk to you and Albrecht, Kai."

His eyes narrowed. "Do not call me by my damned birth name, woman!"

"And why not? I named you and your brother before your despicable father took it upon himself to have you both killed. I tried to protect you both by giving you to Aíne and Padráig."

"Then who the hell are you?"

"Aleit Vandenberg." She replied.

Shannon drew a breath, and Jonathan appeared extremely bored.

"Well, would you either mind speaking in English or not involving me? I hate not knowing what's going on."

"The Americans were always an impatient trigger happy bunch." She remarked, switching languages upon Jonathan's indignant request.

"I resent that!"

Ignoring his brother, Shannon asked, "So, what do you want?"

"I want to help you two in your mission against Karl's unholy movement."

"And how do you plan on it?"

"Well…" she began, "After Karl tried to have me killed for protecting what he deemed hell spawn, I entered the German witness protection program with my daughter, Meike, who I managed to take from him in retaliation for him giving your brother to that horrid American couple. Once I was there, I was able to find a job that reflected this life style…."

She pulled out her badge and tossed it over. "I do have the same job as you."

Studying the badge, Shannon shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"I have underground connections. I can do more than Bartecelli and Tereshkova."

"Why are you only coming forth now?"

"I had other assignments, and secondly, tracking you down is impossible."

"So, why you want to help us?"

"I want to stick it to Karl."

Holding up his hands, Jonathan demanded, "who the hell are all these people, and why are you really expecting us to help you stick it to this man that I've never met!"

"Meike is your twin sister; you and Shannon aren't twins, you're triplets." Aleit explained. She took a moment then added, "And you're helping me because your father is a bastard who'll do anything to make sure the devil gets power."

"And you…?"

"Your mother."


	28. Chapter 28

Illumination

**Illumination**

_la vita dell'amore_

_dilette del cor mio_

_o felice, tu anima mia_

_canta addio..._

(_Canta Per Me_, Kajiura Yuki)

Groaning, a young woman in her early twenties, lamented as she sat back, leans against her arms, as she perched her hands on the edge of a block of cement. She didn't want to be here, but her mother insisted that she come. She had no patience for drastic changes to her life, unless she made them herself.

Gazing at her wristwatch, she scowled. "Even if I went up, I'd be stuck listening to them speak in some stupid foreign language. This sucks. I hate Tokyo. Everyone here is so…. The men look so stiff and square and the women; ugh, someone better call in the fashion police. They have no taste in clothing!'

Then again, who was she to talk? She wore baggy boy's blue jeans, a loose fitting jet black t-shirt with scuffed up runners. Her sandy brown hair was pulled back in a loose braid that sat at her shoulders. It stuck out from underneath her Calgary Flames hat.

She itched the tip of her nose, trying not to touch her new piercing. She had one piercing on her left nostril. She had recently got one through the bridge of her nose, and it had strung for weeks after. That said nothing for her mother's words of indignation when she came home that night.

The girl had several additional piercings. She had three in her right eyebrow, ten in her left ear and another eight in her right.

Her stepfather frequently joked about her setting off metal detectors in airports. She hated it so much. In fact, she hated a lot of stuff; she didn't have much love for life. She generally resented her life. It had nothing to do with the fact that her ex-boyfriend was a complete asshole who had kept cheating on her.

She tried to break up with him and he'd always come crawling back. She had broken up with him for the last time yesterday after she bluntly turned him down, citing that she found him sexually repulsive.

She crinkled her nose distastefully. In a ground-level apartment someone was burning their lunch and it smelt awful!

'Ugh! They ought to make people apply for a license before they can be allowed to cook!' she thought bitterly, as she her nose and walked away from the building.

She was a history student, who planned to transfer to a culinary upon completion of her final year at the University of Calgary. She was a natural when it came to cooking. When her mother first allowed her to help cooking starting at the tender age of three, she had been a natural. Recipes and instructions were inhibiters.

She gazed back.

'Well, I could go in….' she thought.

Sighing, she rocked on the balls of her feet for a moment before she spun in a mindless circle, losing herself in deep contemplation.

Frustrated, she stormed for the door.

Not realising she opened it the wrong way, she slammed right into it. She fell back, landing on her posterior in a most indignant fashion.

Crying out as she fell back, she stood up, rubbing her rear though her ego was more bruised than anything.

Groaning, she took out her cell phone as she walked towards the stairs.

'There's no elevator here? What kind of primitive place is this? Can't these people afford elevators? This sucks! I hope I don't have to walk up to the top floor because that will really suck donkey balls.' She thought resentfully, eyeing the door for the stairs, as she pressed the speed dial containing her mother's cell number.

"Hello?"

"Ma, what number is it?"

"You're coming in?"

"Only because it's boring out there, and not because I want to sit there while you guys blah-blah-blah in fucking German."

"Only one of them speaks it. The other doesn't."

"What does the other speak? Some other stupid language I won't understand?"

"Meike…you speak English and French. I'm sure you'll find a common language ground with your two brothers."

She made a face. Why did she have to be cursed with not one but two brothers? She would have much preferred a sister or two. Her mother had never been specific; just mention frequently that Meike had two other siblings.

"What number is it?" she asked impatiently.

"It's the studio flat on the top floor. The door is open, so just come in when you get up."

Blanching, Meike let out a small cry. She wasn't in the mood to walk up those stairs. She was having PMS cramps and wasn't in any mood to do any unnecessary walking.

'Why did I have to leave my Midol back in the hotel room?' She thought bleakly as she trudged for the stairs, only to see an old lady with a walker come from a spot beyond the stairs.

'Yeah right…like they'd make her climb.'

Meike's curiosity perked after the old lady hobbled by on quivering legs.

Peering around the corner, Meike slapped herself on the forehead. 'Of course, what was I thinking? This isn't some back water native reserve. Of course, they'd have elevators here, why shouldn't they? It isn't the dark ages.'

Shortly after getting on the elevator, she pressed the button for the floor and gazed into the mirror and shrugged. 'This better be worth my time. I gave up valuable me-time. I could've been slaloming down the slopes at Banff, but no…my mother had to blackmail me. Why did she have to threaten to cut-off my rights to the kitchen? That's so…mean!'

The elevator let off a short ding, and the door opened.

Stepping into the hall, Meike walked up to the door and reached for the knob. This felt so incredibly awkward. This was worse than that time her best friend had arranged for her to go on a blind date with that stupid Jewish kid. It wasn't that she had anything against Jews; it just was that the boy was stupid and happened to be Jewish.

For weeks after her friends kept a cold shoulder to her because they thought of her actions as anti-semitic.

Meike's thoughts on it had been because she was German. It had figured that they'd chalk it up to her being a Nazi or something stupid just because she emigrated from East Germany.

Turning the knob, she pushed the door open and entered quietly. She wasn't sure about this. It felt so uncomfortable. She gazed at her feet, unsure if she should remove her shoes or not.

'This is why other cultures are not fun. You never know what quirky expectations they'll have. I mean, whoever heard of wearing shoes in the house? How disgustingly American.' She reflected as she removed her shoes, after studying the assortment, seeing her mother's shoes amongst the various pairs.

"Meike, stop standing in the doorway. Sit down. They won't bite." Aleit called from her spot in the living room. She was seated in a relatively cushy chair across from the chesterfield, which had enough room for four people to sit on.

Shannon snorted derisively and Jonathan snickered.

"Hey…"

Jonathan stared at his twin. This was odd and unbecoming of Shannon, the king of the anti-social assholes. The last thing in the world he would have thought his brother would do is actually greet someone.

They then sat in silence as she turned to their mother.

"Hi…" she waved at them and the twins grunted.

Cautiously approaching, Meike eyed the two. She never thought it was possible for identical twins to be exact carbon copies of each other. She had a couple of friends who were identical twins; even then there were subtle but noticeable differences. These two however were perfect copies of each other, even right down to the cocky expression.

She turned to her mother. "Ok, great, now what? They're sitting there and being so unfriendly."

"You just came in dear." Aleit replied softly. She added, "Introductions are also customary in any culture, dear.

"Meike, these are your brothers, Shannon O'Kelly and Jonathan Anderson. Boys, this is your sister, Meike Vandenberg."

She eyed her brothers who were sitting together rather closely.

"Are they still conjoined?"

The two arched their eyebrows in unison. Conjoined?

"No, they were separated a few days after born through a caesarean section," Aleit explained. "They were joined at the sides. It was deep, but no vital organs were shared."

"We were conjoined?" Jonathan asked after a brief moment.

Their mother nodded. "Yes. If I remember, you were on the right; your brother was on the left."

"So…who's the older one?" Jonathan asked.

"Neither. With conjoined twins, you're both born at the same time. Meike, however, is the younger one."

Jonathan snickered.

Shannon eyed their younger sister up and down.

The brothers gazed at each other for a brief moment.

They exchange very similar thoughts, the urge to make a sarcastic remark about the newcomer was hard to resist. She was open to her. Her attitude even presented it.

'Let's have fun with her.' Shannon telepathically suggested to his twin.

Jonathan snickered and rolled his eyes. 'I hate to know what your definition of "fun" is…'

'Canadians hate being called Americans…and vice versa. So…let's have some fun with her. She seems too serious for her own good, and would it have killed her to come up with our mother instead of being anti-social?'

'Shannon, I didn't know anyone could fit both feet in their moth and still have room left to spew out more crap. You're the most anti-social person I know.'

'I at least tried by saying a form of a greeting!'

'I'll give you that much, brother.' Jonathan acknowledged. He paused and smirked. 'She needs help from the fashion police. And, if you're going to, don't forget to make a comment out Americans packing heat and being Bible-thumpers.'

Nodding, Shannon cast a gaze over at their petit sister.

"Well, fuck, it's another fucking Yankee. So, how much heat are you packing, you bible-thumping redneck?" He snidely remarked. "Nice outfit; whose house are you going to fix?"

Jonathan fell over laughing. He was used to his brother stereotyping humour. The sad thing was some of it was true. And, Meike really did look like she was on duty for home renovations.

She bristled indignantly. The nerve!

"Let's make something clear, hoser. I'm Canadian and religion is a bunch of fucking bullshit. Oh, and this is much better than dressing like you. Have you tried doing up your shirt lately?" Meike retorted sharply.

Aleit bit her lip nervously. Her daughter had always been extremely outspoken and was a volunteer member of the Liberal party. She had frowned upon it because she saw it was unnecessarily rude.

Meike stepped up to him and distastefully gestured at his cross. "You call me a Bible-thumper and you sit there self-righteously as if you're a little saint. Just because you wear a meaningless cross and sit in a pew on Sunday doesn't make you special or give you the right to insult anyone."

"I thought Canadians were he diplomats and the Americans were the loud-mouth, brash inconsiderate two-bit wankers, but it looks like I was wrong."

"It takes a man to admit when he's wrong. Now, why don't you start by admitting that religion is wrong, and that being religious is the first step to proving that you're an asshole with zero moral backbone…"

Jonathan grunted, something of a guttural sounding emitting from him. His then blanched and leaping up, he dove behind the chesterfield. He knew what was about to come. Meike hadn't even been here three minutes and she had already managed to piss off Shannon. Of course, he wasn't exactly the epitome of innocence himself either at this point. His statement was quite inflammatory.

Shannon's eyes narrowed, daring her to repeat herself.

"Yeah, you heard me right; religion is fucking bullshit. God does not exist, and anyone who believes him is as stupid as the—"Meike gasped as Shannon's hand clasped her neck.

His eyes flared; fiery contempt shone in the depths.

He plucked her off the floor, holding her with one hand.

There was a height difference between them. He and Jonathan stood at just over six feet, while Meike was petit at a mere five feet and three inches; only three inches taller than her mother.

"Shannon! Don't hurt her!" Aleit cried out, as daughter struggled against her son's strong vice grip.

"If you say anything else like that, I will crush you like the insignificant bug you are. You better start praying to every almighty being; God, Lord, Allah, Buddha…Zeus? Just start because you'll find yourself at the pearly gates regretting every one of your bloody sins! Get on your knees and apologise for this blasphemy!" Shannon scathingly growled as he dropped her to the floor.

Whimpering, Meike pushed herself up and sat on the floor rubbing her neck, her eyes tearing. "What the hell is your problem? This is exactly why I hate religion!"

"Oh?" Shannon sneered, as his ryuuseisui shot out, trapping her in the ropes. "And so fuelling the flames is going to resolve anything? I never insulted your religion. You're the one who started it. You've crossed the line."

"Shannon…Meike…" Aleit whispered anxiously. She desperately wanted to step in, but, she was truly scared. Never had she seen this kind of demonstration of power.

Jonathan peered over the chesterfield. "Is it safe to come out or am I going to get killed to?"

"Depends on whether or not you accept my proposal." Shannon replied curtly.

Jonathan moaned dully. "I am not going to be accomplice to fucking mass murder!" He then dove back behind the chesterfield.

Aleit's eyes dodged around. She had one son who was trying to kill his sister, and her other one who was hiding behind the chesterfield because he was a tad paranoid of what his brother was going to do.

She then felt something in her purse at her feet.

"I'm glad CSIS lets us carry a X26 Taser." She remarked to herself, as she removed it. She was off duty, but it didn't matter.

"Now, let Meike go." She patiently remarked as she wielded it.

Shannon shrugged. "Sure, as soon as she admits that there is a God." He smirked. "I can offer some encouragement."

Aleit's eyes narrowed and tersely in German ordered, "Just let her go. I'm not kidding. I don't know how Padráig dealt with you, but I'd have assumed him and Aíne would have taught not to hurt girls."

Shannon grunted indignantly but let Meike go. He didn't appreciate her obvious slur against his beliefs. And he wasn't about to let it slip.

"You're proof that North Americans are ill-mannered twats." He hissed.

"Hardly. We're better off than you arrogant elitist Europeans.

"It's obvious your step mother didn't teach you manners. Must've been one hell of a negligent mother. Look at the kind of asshole you turned out to be." Meike flippantly remarked.

Scrambling up over the top, Jonathan moved over to his twin and tackled him.

He glared up at Meike. "Stop trying to provoke him. He's going to kill you if you don't stop it. I've seen him kill people for far less than you are doing."

Aleit grabbed her daughter and pushed her behind her. "Look, I'm really sorry… All I wanted was a chance to try and put together what I lost that time. I didn't think Meike would do anything so stupid or that Shannon would react so strongly. I wanted to try and make a family…"

She rested a hand on one of her breasts. She sighed sullenly. "Boys, would it be all right if we tried to learn more about each other in a more public environment? I want you two not to hate me or your sister. Come join us for supper tonight. I got an excellent recommendation from a clerk at the Ritz."

"Why do I get a feeling it's going to require a suit and tie…?" Jonathan remarked, a hint of a whine to his tone.

"Because I got the recommendation from a Ritz clerk?!" she replied. "You two should meet us there for about seven. Do dress properly, though I trust you can…"

She gazed in. "He has long hair?" her tone indicted more than just surprise.

Shannon snorted. "Yeah, and so? What's your point? I didn't cut it for Patrick; I ain't cutting it for you."

Aleit shook her head. "I was just surprised that you didn't keep your hair short like your brother does."

Meike, now that she had kept quiet for a moment, had a chance to gaze around. "This place is pretty neat for two guys. What's the secret? Overpaid sexy maid?"

"Well…I don't know about the overpaid part…but there is a sexy maiden living here…" Jonathan remarked slowly.

"And she'll never look at you twice with me around. We both know I'm the one she prefers." Shannon boasted. Of course, he was no longer paying attention to the fact that Jonathan was sitting on his back.

"I didn't know she like her men submissive." Jonathan snidely quipped.

Snorting scornfully, Shannon retorted, "That's what you get for being gay; you don't know jack shit about women."

"I'm not gay!" Jonathan growled. He then added in a lighter tone, "I'm bi…and last I checked, weren't you also bi, brother, dear?"

An apparent look of horror caressed the features of Aleit. It was bad enough when her daughter declared herself to be asexual and that she found both girls and boys sexually repulsive, but both of her sons potentially swinging for either sex?! She was starting to see no grandchildren in her future…

"Yeah, sure…whatever floats the boat." Shannon shrugged.

"But…but at least one of you is attracted to this girl that you're talking about? Sexually attracted to her?!" Aleit pressed a hint of melancholy to her voice.

"Oh hell yes…we've fought over her…" Jonathan replied.

Shannon nodded in agreement. "And Jonathan lost. He's a lousy fighter, especially when he's drunk."

Aleit shook her head again. She then offered a hand down to Jonathan. "That doesn't look comfy for your brother. You probably shouldn't sit on him, dear."

Jonathan held up a hand, declining her help, but got up nonetheless.

Shannon sat up.

Meike, who was over at the door, was exchanging looks with Yui, who was giving the same hairy eyeball.

"Who is she?" Both girls demanded in their primary languages.

Yui folded her arms sternly over her chest and Meike smirked nastily at her – a smirk Yui had only seen in full essence on the twins when they were being cocky.

"I said: who the hell is she?" Yui's blue eyes narrowed and pushed by Aleit. She cast a gaze back and arched an eyebrow at the woman. "And…" she turned to the twins. "Who is this older woman? That girl pisses me off!"

"You think she pisses you off…she pissed off Shannon so much that he was prepared to kill him if our mother hadn't stopped our sister from being a jerk."

"Maaaa!!" Meike bewailed dramatically. "I told you this would happen! They're speaking in a language I don't understand. I knew it would happen."

"What's the matter, not fluent in more than one language?" Shannon sneered.

Meike's eyes narrowed. "Non! Je aussi parle français! Et tu? Quelle langue parle tu? Très? Japonois, Anglais et Allemande, ne c'est pas?!"

"Un peu correcte… Je parle beaucoup langue; que plus vous!" Shannon retorted sharply. "Aussi j'ai accent que ne c'est pas mauvais, c'est très parfait; avez-vous un accent affreux!"

Ignoring the mindless bickering, Aleit stepped forward, holding out her hand. "Sorry about this. I'm Aleit Vandenberg, and the girl is Meike. She's my youngest child, and the younger sister of your two roommates."

As she shook the woman's hand, Yui's eyes widened in shock. She believed, from the twin's previous answers that their mother was dead, and that their sister was a mystery. This changed the whole story.

Her eyes shifted over to Meike before she turned back to Aleit. "Nice to meet you, ma'am. I'm Yui."

Aleit wasted no time. "Which one of my sons are you interested in? You know, you're old enough to get married."

Yui both blushed and looked horrified. She shook her head. Europeans were strange. "Well…I kind of can't decide, though Shannon is making it easy by being very evasive about his true feelings. The closest he's come is an indirect admission."

"Good, so at least one of them will give me grandchildren."

Yui groaned. In her opinion and in her eyes, it seemed Aleit was one of those traditional European women and it was no secret that Shannon thought along those lines as well – as in, traditional European man.

Shannon sighed, his eyes displaying his lack of impression. "So, you want me to get married and consummate and Karl wants me dead… It's great to know how my parents see me and my brother…" he muttered under his breath, making sure to pick a language that no one else spoke.

"Then," Aleit remarked, ignoring his mutter, "if he goes out with you tonight, he doesn't have to come with us."

She reached over and smacked up upside the head, and curtly ordered in German, "Stop muttering under your breath! It's rude, boy! Just because you're an adult doesn't mean you have the right to act rude! Now, you have two choices, either come with us or go out with your nice girlfriend. She is at the right age too."

Shannon stared horrified at her. Yes she was his mother, but no one ever smacked upside the head. "You hit me!" he whined.

"Yes, now, are you going to court her or not?"

"Well…I…"

"Good. You'll pick her up from her house and take her to a nice restaurant, and then for a nice walk. Women like that. Make sure you go outside of the city where the stars are out."

"You've giving me courting advice?"

"Just do it. It'll be nice, or you can try and be nice to Meike."

"Fine, I'll take her out! But…"

"No buts!"

"But…but…"

She grabbed him by the ear. "I've waited twenty-two years to see my sons again, and you're disagreeing with your mother? Doesn't Catholicism order you to honour thy father and thy mother?"

"The Old Testament says a lot of stuff…"

"Good. Now, you do need a push in the right direction. She cares for you. Now start showing her you do."

"But…"

Aleit gave him a pointed glance. "It's my job to know this kind of thing; it's instinct. I know you care for the girl, now start showing it."

"I can't let her get close to me!"

"And why not?"

"If anyone who's got me on their hit list finds out, she'll be used as bait! And I don't want her to be caught there!"

"Not a good enough reason." Aleit replied; her arms folded over her chest. "You're going to treat her as you know you want to; and as she wishes you would."

"Why are you pushing me? We've never met before now!"

"The girl likes you; she's the kind of girl that suited for a guy like you. The girl next door."

"Mother!" he exclaimed indignantly. He had no idea why he called her that; felt natural.

Aleit's eyes teared over; she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Finally, a child who doesn't call me Ma and uses a whiney tone!"

Shannon blinked, not quite sure what to do. He had been without a mother or a maternal figure in his life for nearly sixteen years when the only mother he had ever known had died in a car crash that killed an aunt and left him with minor injuries.

She pulled back. "Now be a good boy and take her out."

"Uh…maybe instead she could join all of us…?" Shannon suggested timidly.

"As long as you don't try and get out of courting her. Don't turn her over to your brother. Being American has deprived him of all things that are of traditional value. He's morally bankrupt as is your sister. You're the only one raised right, and the one properly suited to a girl of conventional eastern values."

Shannon snickered. He was thankful neither of his siblings understood what their mother was saying. He enjoyed the ego stroking.

"Well, my mom and Padráig tried." He replied less then modestly. "But if you raised Meike, how is she morally bankrupt?"

"Those degenerate friends of her. They're all hippies, every last one of them." Aleit declared with a thrust of her finger into the palm of her hand. "They corrupted her. She just leeches off the home system now."

"And why are you assuming I'm the one with morals and values?"

"You're raised Irish Catholic…"

"I'm an IRA operative."

"You've had European values instilled on you."

"I've been dubbed the Seanchill Nazi."

"You had a traditional upbringing and you're normal."

"I'm bisexual…" he shuddered. 'Why did I just admit to that?'

She stared at him and shrugged. She then motioned over at the purse she had brought in. "I have information you might be interested in, and if you have her by your side, you'll have a distinct advantage. Yes, it's not necessarily morally appropriate, but you're fighting Karl in the same manner he's fighting you."

"How do you know so much?"

Aleit walked over and picking up her purse, she pulled out an envelope. "This has everything you need to know. I took the liberty of looking up your mission in order to have a reason for tracking you down. I'm on my own time here, but I still have an unresolved vendetta against Karl…"

She paused for a moment. "I kept contact with my friends and family who were in the former STASI… They hated him from the day he first looked my way. They kept taps on him and were able to get me this information, which you may find…useful."

"Depends on what you define as useful, mother." Shannon replied curtly, as he removed the data from the envelope.

His eyes widened in shock. "This…you're telling me he's actually going to stop the mind games in favour of action?"

"Anderson was getting on his case about lack of action…" She leaned in. "You've stashed up plenty of years on your blood; cash in and go Blitzkrieg…"

"But at what cost?"

"The cost of human lives…"

"No! I'm not putting her in the way for this! Let them attack first. I prefer to defend when she's in the question rather than attack. In fact, I wouldn't even have her around if not for the fact that I made a promise to a friend to stop lurking in the shadows and protect Yui."

"There is a cost to victory. Time it correctly, son."

"I don't care about my life! But I'm not putting her in the way!"

"Then you're at his mercy. They're going to attack in waves."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I hate him as much as you do, and you stand to gain more from this than I ever could."

"Why would I benefit?"

"He set you up over eleven years ago after you kicked him in the shins. You were considered too high strung and because he wasn't about to kill the child of a former IRA operative, he sought out unconventional methods. And paid off the cops when it was reported…"

"How do you know any of this?"

"The teacher who reported it, Frau Helena Weiß had gone to school with me and knew the same men I knew who worked for the STASI."

"Frau Weiß…" he whispered. He had told her, hoping to have one adult believe him and try to help him. He had thought she as merely humouring him all those years when in fact the opposite was quite true. "How do you know all this?"

"I said I have connections. I could've taken him out but there is a certain mental relief value in it for you if you take this." She explained simply. "You may have to create an illusion of danger and place your love in the crossfire to get the end means, but, if you love her that much and you know damn well what your job is, then you'll heed this notice."

"You're trying to back me into a corner."

"How so?"

"You're giving me no choice in the matter, frau!"

"So you can't change your mind."

"And if I do?"

"Then you've destroyed the world!"

"Why don't you do something about it?"

"I don't know enough about the history of it to be of use. I can only provide contemporary information. Those who lived that history are the ones who must deal with this."

"Hn…"

"Or you could always just let those men get away with their crime…"

"Bring it on!"


	29. Chapter 29

Elimination

**Elimination**

_la vita dell'amore_

_dilette del cor mio_

_o felice, tu anima mia_

_canta addagio..._

(_Canta Per Me_, Kajiura Yuki)

Listening to what seems to be a blur of harsh words in a foreign language is hardly fun for the bystander who truly has no reason to be listening, especially in their own house. Nor is it fun for those who are visiting or are making use of the house as a temporary residence.

The three who had been hang around while the other two had been speaking in a foreign language started to get restless, and when this occurred, Jonathan smirked and motioned down the hall. He had, in his room, set up an entertainment centre, as it was quite spacious for his lack of bedding material goods for such personal quarters.

Near the windows, he had a couple of large bean bag chairs, a decent sized television, hooked up to a small stereo and…

"…and a modded PS two. I couldn't help myself. When it first came out, the temptation was there, so, in my spare moments, I couldn't help myself, I had to mod it."

"Are the Japanese games truly more violent than those we get in North America?" Meike asked, as she flipped through the CD book of games that Jonathan had.

"Yeah, that and some are way über cute." He replied, as he gazed over her shoulder.

Meike wasn't so bad now that he had a chance to spend time with her. He found he had more commonalities with her than he shared with his twin. Shannon oft quipped snidely that the modified PlayStation2® was not only a waste of time but a wasted investment.

"Oh, you only have Dance-Dance Revolution and not Dance-Dance Revolution Extreme?" Yui remarked snidely. "Probably because you're not man enough to take it!" she added, as she pulled out the mat.

She turned and faced the two. "So…who's going to try and beat me at DDR?"

Meike smirked and pulled her t-shirt over her head, effectively knocking off her cap. Underneath she wore a sports bra, which, while offering some support didn't conceal the fact that she had been graced with an attractive pair of twins. Her cleavage ran deep and she was easily a D-cup.

Jonathan forced himself to look the other way. It was bad enough he was attracted to his brother (though it was a mutual thing), but the sister was completely off limits. That had real repercussions.

Stripping down partially, Yui removed her socks, school blazer, vest and tie. She then undid the top three buttons of her shirt, which moved the neckline down into the middle of her cleavage.

'Oh man! This is every guy's dream! Two hot…ok, so one's my sister, but, damn…' Jonathan mused as he watched the two girls set up the system. He was enjoying just sitting on the beanbag he had moved away from the set so they'd have more room to move around.

The music from the speakers began to pulsate through the room, electrifying the place with pure energy.

The two girls nodded at each other and prepping themselves, stepped onto the mat, their shoulder moving to the beat of the song. They each watched the screen as the vibrant colours whirled in a vertex of orgasmic blends of psychedelic brilliant nebulas.

As the two started moving in perfect synchronise, he stared in awe, captivated by the sheer grace as the two girls moved to the intensifying beat of the music that reverberated through the room, throbbing. He could feel it through the bean bag, as he sat, mesmerized.

The song, while lasting only minutes, due to the incredible pace, left the two girls briefly gasping for breath as the scored displayed on the screen, indicating excellent performances for both of them; a marginal difference due to the timing or error on one or two steps.

Yui smirked at Meike. "Oh sure…DDR may be easy…too easy."

"Well, the hardest setting is designed for uncoordinated North Americans." Meike replied nonchalantly.

"Then put your money where your mouth is." Yui declared, placing her hands on her hips, as she sized up Meike. "I managed to borrow a copy of the next version from Mori today after I found out Jonathan had a PS-two. Perhaps we'll see then who truly is the master."

"Bring it on, girly!" Meike retorted, enjoying the challenge.

Jonathan's eyes trailed after Yui as she left the room.

"Ooo…I sense chemistry!" Meike smirked, as she flopped onto a bean bag. She leaned over, her face nearly in Jonathan's. "So, when are you making your move? You're drooling over her. Make your move!"

"What, are you nuts?" Jonathan exclaimed in shock. Well, his shock came from Meike being so close to him. His eyes briefly left hers to roam over what was close in proximity to him. 'Stop it! She's your sister! It's bad enough you have those kinds of thoughts about your brother!' he screamed to himself.

Meike shrugged nonchalantly, unaware of the eyes moving over her lithe form, as she shifted positions, seeming to give Jonathan a better view of her cleavage. "No, I just call it like I see 'em, and you want her badly. Don't keel over to your brother; if he can't do anything about it, then you deserve her!"

"Uh…Meike?"

"Hmn?"

'Would you mind either putting on a shirt or not leaning so close to me…? I'm feeling rather uncomfortable with you shoving your chest against my arm." Jonathan remarked, but added to himself. 'Yeah, I'm feeling uncomfortable because you're giving me one hell of a boner girl! Fuck…I'm getting aroused because of my sister? Damnit, I have problems!'

'Yes you do indeed, brother.' Shannon replied as he sat on the same bean bag chair as his brother. He sat directly behind him, and cast a cool gaze over at Meike. "You know, he's right, you really should put on a shirt."

"It's perfectly acceptable to wear sports bras like this in public. What the hell is your problem?" Meike retorted. She might've held back if Shannon hadn't echoed his brother's request, but there was something about him that rubbed her the wrong way. He was religious but he hadn't preached to her, and his reaction had been rather unconventional.

'He's a hypocrite but he doesn't act like it! I wish he was clearer in his actions! This evasive crap really pisses me off!'

'I wish I didn't have to hear your resentful thoughts!'

'What the hell…?"

'Oh yes, I guess this means that I'm also telepathic with you as I am with my brother.' Shannon replied, offering a mild groan. 'Which means that you're also linked to Jonathan, and right now, that probably isn't a good thing, is it, brother dear?'

'Oh shut up!' Jonathan retorted indignantly.

An amused purr came from Shannon.

Curious, Jonathan's eyes travelled over to where his twin was gazing, only to echo the same utterance of appreciation.

Yui had ridded herself of her school uniform and opted for something slightly sexier; her school gym uniform. The t-shirt was tight and the shorts quite…short.

She held up the CD. "It took a minute to find, but, I found it eventually. Who'd have thought I'd put it in my advanced senior finite text book?"

Meike shuddered. "I hate finite math!"

"I flunked twelfth grade math…" Jonathan admitted.

"I hate math. Though I never failed, since my school, as a private school didn't make me take math after my first year of secondary school." Shannon remarked casually.

Yui rolled her eyes. How could people hate math? The logic process was invigorating. "What about algebra, calculus, geometry, trigonometry? Don't any of those make you want to learn?"

"What's next, you're going to start in about how chemistry is a walk in the park?" Jonathan groaned. He had never been a student who excelled in math and science.

"Actually, yes, I love chemistry! Biology and physics are also excellent subjects." Yui replied happily. In her senior year, she had been allowed to specialise, since she had pick an academic route, which would led her to university. Those who weren't going were given a general curriculum. However, all students were expected to take English; so she had English with Miaka this semester, along with chemistry, biology, finite and calculus.

She had her next semester laid out already at this point so it included physics, trigonometry, geometry and algebra, along with the requisite English. But she had applied to take the literature course instead of the basic English class.

"I hated science – so much useless data I'd never need to know." Shannon remarked distastefully. He had never liked science classes.

"And you do what again?" Yui retorted, placing her hands on her hips. "Better yet, why the hell did they hire you without math skills?"

"I was hired for my language and hacking skills…" Shannon shrugged.

Jonathan raised his hand. "Uh…for my hacking skills and military background…"

"You're both pathetic!" Yui exclaimed. She turned to Meike. "Convince them that they need math!"

"Why?" Meike smirked. "I don't need math!"

"And why not?"

She continued to smirk. "I'm going into a French culinary academy after I get my bachelor's from Calgary U in history."

Yui glared at the girl. These westerners were pathetic! No wonder all their accountants were Chinese and Japanese! "How can you seriously not need math?"

"I have a calculator on my cell phone, so it does the work for me!" Meike replied, holding up her VOX. "It's even got colour display so I can see the answer clearly!"

Throwing her hands up, she gave in and went to the PS2 and loaded in the disc she was holding. 'So, not only can I kick this girl's ass at DDR, but I can outclass her in math. Westerners really have superiority complex…'

"So…what are you waiting, for, aren't you going to start this, or are you chicken?" Meike taunted. She felt oddly at ease right now. This was almost too comfortable.

She had initially felt uncomfortable, but then again, their mother was in the room and she made Meike feel extremely uncomfortable. She really didn't like their mother. In her eyes, their mother was an unbearable stern control-freak; almost Nazi-esque in her beliefs about child-rearing.

'Of course, what do you expect – she is!' Meike would often tell herself. It was in no way a defence of their mother; it just allowed for Meike to deny what transpired in their daily lives, which may seem uneventful to the unobservant eye.

"Are you taunting me, little girl?" Yui relied smirking. She enjoyed a challenge when it came from her equals. In this case, Meike had proven herself to be a graceful lithe dancer, capable o exceeding the demands of a mindless game like DDR.

While she wasn't as tall, she had more bulk. "Excuse me? Who are you calling little, chicky? You're a meatless kid. Look at you; there is no meat on your bones."

"Excuse me for not being fat."

"Fat is soft, muscle is solid. Though I'll grant you this much; your tongue is a hell of a muscle."

"Talk is cheap – I'm game if you are."

Shannon rolled his eyes. "Is it just me or did it just get stupider in here?"

Jonathan shrugged. "No, it's about the same. Though the bullshit is really flying…" He paused for a moment, regarding the two girls sagely. "I thought I'd heard this before somewhere…"

"Yeah, this is what you two sound like!" Yui shot in their direction.

Glaring indignantly at her, Jonathan conceded, "touché…"

"So, if you're done being cocky, why don't both you lasses put your money where your mouth is…" Shannon suggested rather cockily. He was amused by the thought that Yui was really no less arrogant and self-righteous than him and his twin, were.

Meike placed her hands on her hips and stared down her nose at him. "Oh, you seem rather intent on making us sweat. Why don't you try this? Sure it's easy to snidely remark about how we're being arrogant…but let's see you try!"

"I'd love to, but I'm not a bloody queer; I don't fucking dance."

"No wonder you're still a virgin! No woman would want you. Totally useless…"

His eyes flashed dangerously.

"What's the matter; did I hit a sore spot?" Meike purred maliciously, enjoying watching her brother squirm. In her conscious mind she was enjoying it, but in her unconscious mind she felt a burning nag. It felt like a searing sting as it shivered down the spine of her neck.

Shannon stood up, as Jonathan reached out and grabbed his twin.

"Damnit, stop it, Meike!" he called, as he pulled his twin back. "You're just trying to provoke him, and I don't know what you know, but you better stop, you hit a nerve, and this is not something to want to do!"

"What do you expect; she's just a stupid girl with nothing but cotton candy between her ears. She's just a dumb blond chick…" Shannon sneered/

She glared at him. She placed her hands firmly on her hips. "No one calls me a dumb blond without me hanging him by the balls."

"What is that supposed to be, some kind of threat?"

"Let's make it into a statement of what I'll do next if you don't can the sexist attitude."

"If you weren't such a bloody femi'nazi, I wouldn't have to use the sexist attitude."

Jonathan watched closely; there was a spark of tension in the air. He hadn't thought it would be possible for there to be another person who was almost like Shannon. But Meike was coming very close. He watched as she reached and pulled out a switch blade.

'Oh shit! She actually knows how to fight! And yet, she's not gauging her challenged one right…'

"Aw, isn't that sweet; a practice blade." Shannon drawled cruelly. He stood up. "So, you want a knife fight, eh? Look, touts, you're in way over your pretty head."

"Did you just call me touts?" Meike's eyes flashed haughtily.

Shannon smirked. "Well, you better get your hearing checked then because you can't seem to hear a lot of what I'm saying."

"If you didn't talk like a drunken sailor, I'd actually think you could speak."

"I'm sorry if I don't talk like a redneck with a mouth full of marbles, but I grew up knowing how to actually speak English instead of that pseudo-English you Yanks speak."

"I'm not a fucking American!"

"Oh – my bad. You're a redneck Canuck. Though I fail to see the difference."


	30. Chapter 30

Falling Rose Petals

**Falling Rose Petals**

_With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls;  
For stony limits cannot hold love out;  
And what love can do, that dares love attempt;  
Therefore thy kinsmen are no let to me._

(Act II, scene ii, Romeo and Juliet)

"_You've been here for two years and it took you a year and a half…"_

"_Well, I wasn't sure…"_

"_Excuses are for chumps!"_

"_I just wanted to take my time. I didn't want to be hurt."_

"_How do you know lest you take a chance?"_

"_I'd rather not chance it. Less chance of hurt involved that way."_

"_And of her feelings?"_

"_Well, I don't know. I think she loves me. Well, she has said…"_

"_Isn't that enough to confirm it?"_

"_I still don't know…"_

"_It's not nice to leave a girl hanging, especially after you've confessed your feelings to her!"_

"_But even then, I'm not even sure of my own."_

"_Then you should give her an answer either way!"_

Her eyes had bored into the depths of his soul. Those eyes, so identical to his, pierced him as she challenged him to do something about his love life. Her words shot through his mind in searing electrical pulses, as he stood beneath the sakura blossom tree, facing the girl he loved (at least thought he did).

The wind caressed the face of the girl who stood before him, the velvety night sky speckled lightly with stars, though partially clouded out due to the light pollution emitted by the city.

They stood on the ground outside of her apartment building.

He had called her out after returning from a brief interaction with his sister. She had challenged him to live up to his emotions. He hadn't told her but he was afraid of doing that. As he faced the girl he loved, he felt hesitation. His mind whirled in confusion.

'If I tell her that I want her, will I open myself up to unnecessary hurt…or will it hurt her? But if I don't, I might spare both of us… Or at least me... But do I really want that?'

She peered closely at him, and inclined her head. "As much as I appreciate the strong and silent types, I'd like much to know why you called me out here." She smiled serenely. "While I love you and enjoy your companionship, I do have a test I need to study for…"

'There's your response. Her academic career comes first.' He thought bleakly.

She blinked sweetly. "Well…?"

'She's really putting the pressure on…' he thought, his expression stoically neutral.

"I…" he paused. 'What do I want? I know I want her and badly! But I'm not the kind of guy that she needs. She's too damn good for me. Maybe if my life turned out different, I'd actually be worth something to her.'

She folded her arms over her chest. "I could interpret that as a monosyllabic grunt."

He hesitated for a moment then gently kissed her on the lips.

"I love you, but I can't give you the answer you want. You're too good for me, and everything about me would hurt you. If you were too close, you'd get hurt. I'd rather you hate me than be close to me." He whispered against her lips, those soft pink lips.

Her eyes flashed with hurt. "But that doesn't matter! Why would I want to?"

"It's just better that way." He replied softly, masking the hurt he felt from this. He didn't want to, but he didn't think he had another choice.

"No it isn't!" she insisted, stamping a foot on the ground, gesturing aggressively, her fists balled up, amplifying her frustration. She then pouted and folded her arms back over her chest.

"Just trust me. In the end, this is truly the way to go." He whispered, caressing her cheek. "You deserve much better, and I'm not what you…"

"Don't tell me what I want and don't want, because I already know! And I want you!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around him, holding him closely.

"But…" he hesitated, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently pushing her away. He kissed her softy. "Good bye."

She stood, her mind reeling. The kiss was so tender and sweet, and his words gentle. Her heart longed, and yet, as the wind caressed her, she smelt but just the faint remains of his subtle cologne.

The tree behind her, as the wind picked up, shed rosy-pink Sakura blossoms. '

Her eyes, transfixed dead ahead, clouded over with a flood of tears. She couldn't even begin to comprehend his motive for this. Her mind was a whirlpool of confusion and deep-seated hurt. She knew exactly how she felt and what she wanted, and she had believed that because his words echoed hers so gracefully that she'd get it in return.

'What could've brought this on? Who threatened him? What would they do?' she wondered, thinking that it was the only reason why he would've told her that despite his feelings that this way was truly the only alternative to acting on his emotions.

Her whole world shattered around her.

His words pierced her soul.

How could he do this to her? They felt the same way, didn't they? She knew in her hear that they did and she knew that he shared the same emotions that she did. She couldn't understand, no matter how much she played back the conversation in her head over the next two days before she decided she was going to have to take matters into her own hands and end the throbbing hurt in her heart; in a void left by his absence…

"Let me get this straight…she threw herself at you, and you what?"

"Walked away…"

"You're a moron!"

A female giggled echoed in the room. "That's what I tried to tell him."

"Meike, shut-up." Her twin brother Jonathan cast a cold gaze at her, not amused by her untimely quip, though as fitting as it was.

Meike shrugged nonchalantly.

Rolling his eyes, Jonathan turned back to Shannon. "What the fuck were you thinking anyway? When you love a girl and she loves you back, you don't push her away; you take her in your arms and assure her that the world is her oyster and that you are her shelter from the rain!"

"I don't do romantic." Shannon replied simply.

Jonathan, though clenched teeth, seethed, "then start practicing! I've supported your relationship with her, but this is enough! Start trying or I'm going to take her and there is nothing you can do about it! Yes, I was jealous and I do fully intend to exploit the situation if you don't rectify it within forty-eight hours. That should give you enough time to think of trying something romantic that doesn't involve you sending her, her enemy in a body bag!"

He shrugged. "And if I do?"

"I will kill you myself."

"So you want to die as well?"

"Shannon, stop acting like a tool and just start thinking for once! Do something to show that you do love her! Women crave it, and Yui is no different!"

"I don't do romantic."

"Then you better start."

"It's not me. I didn't want to before, and I have no plans to."

"Then…"

"Fine, take her. We both know how you feel!" Shannon spat, seething scathingly, as he rose to his feet and briskly brushed by his brother, curtly leaving the room, an air of icy frost trailing behind him.

Jonathan shivered. When his brother acted cold, he certainly felt it.

'What's his problem? I'm trying to push him in the direction I know he wants to go and now he's being extremely resistant…' his eyes turned to Meike, his thoughts turning to the realisation that she was likely the last person that his brother may have spoken to before talking to Yui.

"Oh Meike…" he purred silkily.

She rose to her feet. "I just remembered something – I didn't buy tampons and I'm running low on some…"

"FREEZE!! You're not going anywhere, not until you tell me what you told him!" Jonathan exclaimed, as he stepped into her path. "You said something…I know you did! If you don't tell me, I'll extract it by force, and I do, you're going to suffer the consequences…"

"What consequences? And why are you assuming that I said something to make him reject her?" Meike demanded her hands on her hips. "I told him to tell her how he feels and to start acting like a man and to give her an answer."

"OK, now that you've lied to me…" Jonathan bit out, "let's try that again…"

"I'm telling you the bloody truth! And get over it already! He made his choice; leave it at that!" Meike retorted haughtily.

"It's destiny for them and you messed with destiny!" Jonathan hissed.

"Destiny is just an excuse for those who think that something controls the fate of humans other than humans. Humans have free will so we control our own fates until the inevitable of bad luck happens, in which case, you're screwed."

"Whether you like it or not, it is destiny! We have no control over it!"

At that moment, Shannon re-entered the room.

He glanced at both and rolled his eyes. "Why don't both of you stop it. It was my choice! And yes, Meike, there is the whole destiny bit, but I decided to change that in favour of protecting her."

"And you reject her?" Meike replied icily.

Ignoring her, Jonathan shot back, "and what of Miaka and Taka? Weren't they brought together by destiny? I…"

"No they weren't." Shannon replied curtly. "Miaka knew of him; Taka never looked at her until I interfered. It was my penance for what I did. So, I helped her make herself known to him. If I hadn't helped her, she'd still be begging me and Taka would be ignoring her because he thought of her as a giddy high school girl."

Jonathan smiled amusedly. "Now seriously…what happened?"

"Exactly that." Shannon replied straight-faced.

He briskly strolled past his twin, and headed for the door, bent over, sweeping his helmet off the ground.

"Shannon, I hate it when you take your motorcycle out…" Jonathan remarked cautiously. He feared for his twin's life every time his brother got onto that death machine. Sure, it was an attractive bike, but he still didn't like the thought of Shannon riding around on it; his brother was far too reckless.

Rolling his eyes, Shannon put on the helmet. The background was a smooth jet black, offsetting the azure blue dragon that snaked gracefully around it.

"You're becoming too much of a nag, brother."

Sternly folding his arms over his chest, as Meike slumped on the chesterfield, watching bemused, Jonathan retorted, "There is a difference between me nagging and me being concerned! And right now, I'm concerned! I hate it when you take out that death machine!"

Shannon nonchalantly shrugged off his brother's remark, "Just because I've had a couple of accidents when I was a kid, doesn't mean I'm going to die. I survive two accidents. I'll be fine."

"That's my point! You're playing with fire! If you've got to go out, at least take my car!" Jonathan bristled; equally irritated and hurt by his twin's callous remark.

"Pick one thing and nag me about that! I'm not in the mood to have you climb all over me about how I dealt with Yui and my choice to ride my bike!" Shannon angrily hissed before grabbing his brass knuckles and keys.

Storming out, he slammed the door behind him, causing the frame to vibrate noticeably.

"What an ass!" Jonathan growled under his breath.

"Well…" Meike remarked, a singsong note to her voice, "you are an incredible nag. No wonder he stormed out."

"Meike, didn't anyone ever teach you to shut the fuck up?"

She shrugged evasively, causing Jonathan to throw up his hands in exasperation.

A blue streak flamed through the curving country road outside of Tokyo.

The road was beside the glistening sea as the sun set over it; its soft orange and purple rays awash with hues of subtle red and dissipating blues reflected in the softly rippling waters below.

The sun hadn't yet descended over the horizon, lest one was in the city surrounded by the towering skyscrapers that dwarfed those who walked humbly on the paved ways below. The sun out in the open was a little shy of vanishing into the ensuing night sky.

The streak eventually came to a stop at a moderate cliff side over looking the water. Removing his helmet, Shannon set it on the seat of his bike and walked for the edge of the water, gazing out over the white sea foam that brushed up against the jagged rocks below.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his badge. With one final cursory glance of scorn, he swung his arm back and flung it into the sea.

The splashing of the lapping waves below did nothing to silence the voice that nagged him in his head. The voice was that of another self; a self that he had suppressed when he took on his identity of Shannon, thus putting Padráig on the back burner of life.

'This is the end. I'm not playing by the rules any more! I know damn well what I want and what I want is, to get the hell on with my life and have Yui!'

_No, it's too risky. It's better to fight this way._

'This is why it ends here…'

_Are you threatening me?_

'Yes I am, because I am tired of you taking control and then slipping back out of existence when everything is going your way. You've been in fucking hiding for the last eleven years! I'm not letting you have your way any more! I am tired of this half-dying crap. You can't do it right, and I am NOT pushing Yui away any more.'

_Oh, but yes you are. I don't much care for her. I still love Marian._

'She was a twat. I hated her. You only picked her because you took over when she flashed her tits at you.'

_You're just pissed off because she loved the true part of me, and not you. You're just suffering from the cardinal sin of jealousy. You can't stand that no girl would look at you except for those who I liked._

'They didn't because you're a fucked up asshole who is uncontrollably suicidal!'

_It's a minor inconvenience, isn't it? Yes, I needed a way to get away from that blond girl; over bearing. Your confusion helped me that time in attempting to end my miserable existence and rid myself of you._

'Face it; you're stuck with me for eternity! And the only way you'll ever win is if you kick me out! The only one who ever succeeded was Brennan!'

_Don't speak to me of that malcontent misfit. I never liked him. He's just a thorn in my side._

'He wasn't. Oh, and one more thing, Paddy – you lose! The game ends here.'

Shannon closed his eyes and sat on the rocky grass, as he focused on his inner mind; seeking the voice. He was going to splice Paddy from his soul forever. Padráig was the symbol of everything that was wrong with him; the symbol of one vainly clinging to the past and using it as a justification for actions. Shannon, or rather, Suboshi didn't much care for such things.

He had learned the hard way about such things. The delusions that were induced by his hatred, driving him to conduct irreversible actions resulted in an affirmative death. Being at the doors of death had opened his eyes to what was happening. His actions had consequences; his choices may sometimes, while, containing a well-intended motivation would backfire. Clinging to those long-past memories rather than learning from them was the quickest route to self-destruction.

Deep in the dark depths of his soul resided two spirits, while physically identical to one another, they differed in every other element. While Shannon was the one graced with the gift of age and wisdom, Padráig was the embodiment of youthful obstinacy and rebellion.

Their voices were clearly different. While Padráig's was deeper, Shannon's true voice was much softer, though the tone carried the same resonation of masculinity.

"I'm the owner of this! You're the damn invader!"

"Some owner... You have no regard for life, not even your own. You have no right to claim ownership of this body when you can't even respect yourself let alone others!"

"They didn't earn my respect! The world doesn't give a shit about me, and I likewise."

"You're pitiful… Really, quite so… I don't know how one could live as long as you have without learning from past actions."

"You have no right to start in on that! I have final say in everything."

"Really? You know, you're just an obstinate child. You've failed to grow up. You're stuck in the past, with it controlling everything you do. I'm ending it here. I have no need to cling vainly to such things. I've seen the consequences and I'm not about to welcome death again. I'm tired of your suicidal attempts. I value my life unlike you, so, for that matter, I'm not sitting by like my peers, I'm taking this body by force and you're history!"

A sneer caressed Paddy's lips, as they twisted into something of a rather sick smirk.

"And how do you plan to? You've had over twenty-two years."

"Yes and the last time, it put me on equal footing when I saved us from getting killed after you mouthed back at the boys!"

Deciding against letting Paddy retort, Shannon mentally ambushed his reincarnation, mentally forcing him back into the chained depths, from which there was no escape.

He had remembered Miboshi's tactics. He had seen them in practice. The true owner was never seen again.

In this case, Shannon, or rather Suboshi had pushed back his reincarnation, claiming the body as his own. The only concrete difference was going to be personality and mannerisms. The realm of knowledge was shared.

He opened his eyes once again after feeling the spray of salt-water from the lapping white water below the cliff.

A soft smirk tugged at his lips.

'Finally… I'm in control. I've waited so long for this. I'm not going to let him ever get out. I have exactly what I want and nothing is going to stop me from getting it!' Shannon aggressively reasoned as he plucked up his helmet from the seat, and mounting the bike, sped from sight.

Jonathan felt something of a cold shiver trickle through his body. He couldn't quite place his finger on it. It felt as if something drastic had just happened, something involving his twin. His twin's chi, while still distinctly present, it wasn't emitting the same resistive aura that was commonly associated with it.

He glanced out the window, watching the night sky take the city by force, but with the streetlights flickering to life like millions of tiny fireflies, the night sky wasn't as dark as he would've preferred. There was an annoyance radiation of light, as the lights from the streets were reflected off the floating clouds above.

He was about to query, but he remembered the hostility he had been met with when his twin aggressively stormed from the loft, leaving chaos, destruction and havoc in his wake.

Instead, his mind drifted, ripe with dozens of explanations. From moderate suggestions that his twin was stoned out of his head to the possibility that… anything was possible at this point.

His calm moment of serenity and deep sage ponderings were interrupted by sultry deep laments of Chad Kroger and the acoustic accompaniment of Nickelback, as he belted out the lyrics to a song that kissed the ears of Meike, who had been singing very off-key to the song.

"_One day, up to a cliff  
That overlooked the water_

_jumped in to save a girl  
It was somebody's daughter_…"

He shot her a very dirty look. "Knock it off!"

"Why?"

"I'm trying to think."

"Don't hurt your last brain cell…"

"BITCH!"

She smirked gleefully.

He merely gave her a cursory glance before he pinched his nose in disgust at her lack of singing ability.

At precisely the moment, that Jonathan was feeling indignant over Meike's insensitive jab, Shannon, who was turning his bike along the sharply curving road, hit the breaks with a force as he saw before him someone standing close to the edge of the steep embankment.

He veered off and ran across the road, only to narrowly miss grabbing the girl, as he saw billowing blond hair, being kissed by the setting sun, flitter down behind the girl as she dropped face first; her mind reeling. She didn't know why she was here. She was blinded by the deep incurable hurt that controlled ever iota of her being.

Throwing off his helmet, he dove head first in after her, eternally thankful that there were no rocks in the immediate vicinity to worsen the damage, though he was hoping, as he came up, the cloak of darkness heavily set in over the area, that he could find one.

His adrenaline had been rushing when he plummeted in after her, but in the moments following breaking the surface, his chi registered hers; extreme guilty plunging itself into the depths of his gut; gnarling the stomach into millions of tiny intricate knots.

Holding her close, he scanned the immediate area, trying to figure out if there was a simple way out or if he would have to climb back up.

Climbing it was.

Taking it his regular catch-latch thrower, he propelled it to the top and hitting the retract button kept a firm grip on her, as he used a combination of climbing skill and the pull force of the device he had activated.

Kneeling on the ground, holding her, he touching two fingers to her neck, feeling for a pulse, instantly relieved upon finding a faint but present one.

His brow furrowed in concern, as he moved his fingers away, with them brushed against something behind her ear that shouldn't have been there…

She twitched and grimaced, discomfort distorting her features. A soft moan of pain emitted from her, and unbeknownst to Shannon, within her mind, she was seeing images, which had led to her uncharacteristic actions.

She was trapped in a world that was too fantastical… an illusionary one. An illusionary one filled with pain and the agony of suffering.

Crying out incoherent, she winced, as though trying to get away from a force pursuing her.

He held her tight, whispering soothing words to her, hoping something would calm her down. He didn't want to remove the small object because the sudden shock would do unnecessary harm; something the perpetrator would've wanted.

Sensing her calm, he sighed softly, brushing his fingers through her hair.

'I hate removing these things. Eireanna does a damn good job of putting them in. I don't want to make this any worse for Yui. It's bad enough that she had to see this fucking vile twisted world of Eireanna…'

Removing it, he immediately crushed it in his hand, feeling the cold chi seep through his fingers before it dissipated into thin air.

'Damn her to hell! I can't believe they would actually attack Yui!' he thought resentfully, as he dropped the small object to the ground, which slowly lost its deathly green glow.

He sighed softly, brushing his fingers over her face, his eyes staring longingly at her; concern and desire dancing in them. He kept her alive for one more day. He had only one choice now, and it was to act upon his natural instinct, one that had been left in the dust of Padráig's wake.

_Ah, but they did, didn't they? No matter what you do, she'll get killed anyway. She's just a burden. Lose her; Kerry O'Shea is far more desirable than Yui will ever be. Kerry has a body that won't quit, and she isn't a bloody liability._

The voice broke through Shannon's psyche. He growled softly. He hated that voice!

'Didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up?'

_No, you just took over the body by force. I have no control, but until you forcefully evict me from this body, I'm still going to be here to try and take back control from you. You're such a little self-righteous upstart, aren't you?_

'Then I'll risk the consequences if I kick you out!'

_You know very well that you can only live here because your essence isn't dominant. If it were to be, you'd cause great chaos by being in this world. You know Taka did, and so did Jakob, heck so did you…_

'A world without you would be a much better place!' Shannon, or rather, Suboshi declared, finally having had enough of Padráig's incessant ignorance and nagging.

Concentrating, he located the centre of the body he shared; the core where they were both rooted. He knew this was the only way to get complete control of the body, and hopefully without anyone ever finding out.

By expelling his reincarnation counterpart, he would not only regain complete control, but due to the fact that he had years to perfect and enhance his skills, even in a dormant state, he would no become the most dangerous Seishi.

For those with whom he was allied, it would be an advantage.

For those with whom he was enemy with, it would be a disadvantage.

But, it would open him up to more attacks. Because he was to become the pinnacle of strength, he would be the central focus of his enemies in their attempt to vanquish all those who stood in the way of their lord's rise to power.

This would invariably put all of his allies in jeopardy, particularly those whom he was unusually close to…

However, it was obvious the change was subtle, since his chi had always remained, for the longest time, suppressed through constant concentration and an aggressive pursuit of subtle existence.

To achieve dominance brought about another change, one that would be noticeable to the trained eye.

But the greatest changes he felt within himself. He still retained all the knowledge and memories, but he felt free. He felt much like shackles had been lifted from his soul and he was free to continue to redeem himself for his past sins and finish what he had started.

Those restraints made him elated in relief; almost as much as the touch of a hand to his scarred cheek.

"Shannon…"

He turned his attention down to Yui, who he was still holding, as he knelt just behind his motorcycle, that he had parked on the roadside opposite of the cliff.

A sigh of relief came from him. "Are you ok?"

"I don't know… what happened? How did I get out here?" She whispered, and added, with a hint of uncertainty to her voice, "the last thing I remember was riding my bike over to get groceries, when I was stopped by a girl I didn't know. She insisted that she knew me and hugged me like I was an old friend, and when she did, she touched a finger to my head, and I blacked out…"

"But you feel fine now?" concerned laced his voice.

She shrugged. "I think so, but my head feels like it was caught in a vice…" she trailed off, gazing into the distance.

"Why did you help me, even though you pushed me away? Why are you tormenting me with your presence? You know how I feel and it hurts being with you, knowing…"

"Yui, please, I made a mistake! I didn't mean to; I never wanted to."

"Then…"

"It's kind of a long story…"

He was about to add a second sentence, but the sky over head opened up. Clouds had gathered above, and torrents of rain pummelled the earth relentlessly in seconds, soaking those who were unfortunate enough to be outside, at the mercy of Mother Nature's fury.

Standing up, without putting her down, he left his bike, and remembered seeing a small cave behind him, rushed for it, seeking shelter, knowing full well, that any attempt to drive back would be dangerous, as the roads would be slick.

Setting her down on her feet, he went into the shelter after her.

Yui then sat back, away from him. She felt too hurt to even look at him.

Determined to show her he made a gross mistake, Shannon knelt in front of her and cupping her chin between the index and middle finger and his thumb of his left hand, turned her face to hers and gently kissed her.

"There is no real way for me to say 'sorry'. I know I hurt you badly. It tears me up inside, and I hate myself for that." He whispered, his breath gently brushing over her lips. He kissed her again. "If I could turn back time I would've taken you in my arms and never let you go…

"I would've never let Tetsuya have you for those months that I lurked in the shadows, wondering how you felt about me. I would've jumped at the first chance I had…but I was too afraid. The pain was still too fresh. I could still feel your rejection. I didn't think I could ever touch you like this. I've dreamt of holding you like I had at the summoning… just one last time…"

She felt a soft blush creep across her cheeks. "Shannon… I…I had been unsure, but after that I started to feel differently, but…I wish I had told you, but I didn't think I could. I was scared, I…" her sentence broke off as she sneezed.

Chuckling softly, he stood up as much as he could. "I think you need to get off those clothes. I've got a blanket in the saddle bags on my bike."

She gave him an odd look at he retreated from the cave into the rain. There was something different about him…

She didn't know what it was. She wondered what it was as she stripped off all but her undergarments and hung them from the jagged rocks on the wall behind her.

Returning quickly, he put a plastic bag on the ground, and removed his own dampened clothes as she reached in and pulled out what looked like a flashlight, water and a blanket.

He gazed over at her. "It should be big enough for two. I never go out on my bike without a basic survival kit. Only morons do." He remarked calmly, as he crawled over to where she was and took the blanket, wrapping it around himself. He then took her into his arms, putting it around both of them.

"I'll keep you warm…," he whispered.

She said nothing, as she snuggled against him, seeking the warmth of his body and embrace, thunder clapping outside and lightening jagged ominously across the sky.


	31. Chapter 31

Savin' Me

**Savin' Me**

_Heaven's gates won't open up for me  
With these broken wings I'm fallin'  
And all I see is you  
These city walls ain't got no love for me  
I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story  
And oh I scream for you  
Come please I'm callin'  
And all I need from you  
Hurry I'm fallin'_

(_Savin' Me_, All the Right Reasons, Nickelback)

The night was filled with sheeting rain and the occasional crack of resonating thunder and flashing lightening, intermixed with the subtle nuances of silence of uncertainty. Neither knew what to say, as they sat in the road-side shelter.

She wanted to say something, but, of course, it was hindered by recurring thoughts that any attempts to spark a dialogue would be rebuffed by his scathing stillness. She had many things she wanted to ask now that she had a chance to sit alone with him for the first time ever without any possible interruptions.

Sighing softly, she stared at the floor, her mind reeling. She felt tense with each passing minute of anguishing silence. She needed to hear something to calm her anxious mind. Something that would end her discomfort, especially given his biting words of rejection from days passed.

She closed her eyes for a moment; then opening them, she stared straight ahead. "Answer something for me…" she whispered quietly. "If you don't want anything to do with me, why did you bother to help me?"

"Simple… I made a mistake when I told you that. I wasn't thinking rationally. I was still clinging to old thoughts that I'm too dangerous for you." He explained in a gentle tone. "Because I know that I'd leave you hurting badly… because my life means nothing to me, and if my life means nothing to me, I can't be safe for someone who does care about themselves."

She sighed again; still staring ahead, wondering just how to respond to this. However, he managed to offer up more.

"But that doesn't mean I don't love you. I never stopped loving you. I didn't lose my feelings for you over the years… and even when I was too scared to have any contact with you, despite Miaka's repeated attempts to make me get involved."

She blinked, something clicking in her mind. She didn't say anything for a moment; then asked, "What do you mean by that? And…"

"I mean… I…I just don't like getting involved when I think I'm going to get hurt and possibly hurt someone I don't intend to hurt in the process…"

She nodded and added, "And…why didn't you want contact? How long did you refuse the contact?"

"Until Michiko forced me to be involved..." he replied slowly. "I was willing to just briefly step in long enough to teach that asshole an unforgettable lesson in decency, but, Michiko threatened to blow my cover and I wasn't ready…and I knew I couldn't keep her quiet like I could with Miaka. She was easier to control because grades were important, after it became obvious she could do well…"

"Do well…" she mused. Then queried, "Do well in what?"

"English… and for some reason, she always wanted help in European history and in Japanese…at least with the Kanji aspects."

"In English…?" she replied in an amused tone, though her eyes twinkled with resent. A sense of betrayal washed over her. "Hn… so Miaka doesn't mind breaking a promise to me, does she? So, I guess I know what her word means now."

She wasn't going to hold in responsible. After all, he didn't break any promises to her, unlike Miaka. Miaka, who was her supposedly trusted best friend. Miaka who always swore she never betrayed her…

Her eyes darkened. "I can't trust her. She always said that she would tell me if she knew if you were reincarnated. But… but she instead chose to give into pressure… she caved in and sacrificed her word. Her word means nothing."

"No… No, don't start in about that. It isn't her fault!" he immediately jumped to Miaka's defence, even though she wasn't there. "She had made the promise to me long before you ever asked that of her. She had to make a choice and her choice was between breaking a promise to at least one person in order to make another person happy… you honestly can't blame her.

"If you have to blame anyone, blame me. I put her in a hard place when she brought it up. I pressured her not to give in. I… I was desperate to keep my identity secret.

"I didn't want to face you. I was afraid of what you might say to me. I thought that if I kept away, it would be fine. I didn't think that it would matter…especially when Miaka started to pressure me to come forward."

He swallowed, feeling tense. He had this burning sensation at the base of his neck. He knew that feeling; it was guilt. He had every right to feel guilty. He had been feeling this guilt ever since Miaka started to pile on her fears that her best friend was being deeply hurt.

"I… I thought that if I kept in the shadows, no one would get hurt. But…when I felt the jolt in chi, I couldn't ignore it. I didn't mind interfering briefly to ensure your safety, but, I didn't want to make myself known. I was content with remaining in the shadows, and when you suggested that I might be Amiboshi, I didn't bother to correct you because… because that way I figured you wouldn't be scathing towards me since you never knew my brother."

Burning tears seared the underside of her eyelids.

She didn't know what to say to him. After all, what could be said? She had put her heart on the line, hoping that he'd be receptive, but he had deliberately avoided and willingly pushed her away for almost no good reason. He did give reasons, but in her eyes, they were insignificant.

"Why, Shannon? Why?" She whispered, pulling away from him wrapping her arms around herself. She didn't need him to keep her warm – or so she told herself, as she felt a shiver trickled through her body.

She sighed. "No…don't bother to answer… It won't make a difference. I'm always the one that everyone leaves in the dark. I'm the one people always manipulate." She remarked bitterly and offered up a curt cynical laugh.

She gazed around, avoiding his gaze, not wanting to look him in the face right now. She didn't want to face, especially knowing he really hadn't wanted anything to do with her. So, it now made it sense as to why he outright rejected her.

Standing up, he pulled her into his arms, embracing her from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder. "Yui…" he whispered softly. "I once made the mistake of not listening to you when you tried to tell me how you felt and it nearly cost me my life. But it didn't because of you. Up until three days ago, I never realised just how much you meant to me until I pushed you away."

"Shannon, I…" she gasped as she felt him turn her around, gently kissing her. This kiss was more forceful then the last one. It didn't hurt or anything, he just seemed more sure of himself now.

He pulled back, brushing his lips over hers.

Her eyes fluttered at half mast. She'd never been so gently kissed before.

She didn't have much say before she found herself beneath him, lying on her back on the blanket.

She pressed her hands up against his chest, once it set in that she wasn't standing up any more. "No…"

He blinked and immediately back off. "Uh…sorry…" he whispered shyly and moved away from her. He respected her far too much to even think of pushing the situation further, despite his raging hormones – he wanted her, he wanted her badly!

She sat up and shook her head. "I was just surprised."

His hair fell in his face. "Sorry…I didn't mean to push you. I should've realised that I was moving too fast."

She blinked at him, confused. That wasn't fast at all in her eyes. She knew girls who'd have considered him to be ultra conservative. She was even thinking the same thing.

"No you weren't! I was just caught off guard. I didn't think you'd have been so forward."

She then stood up, her hand touching her nearly dried clothes, when something came to her. She never had the chance to be reckless in her life. Nor had she ever felt the need to be. Her hand ran over the fabric, her eyes turned to the shirt.

"Shannon…"

"Yes?"

"Is it still raining?"

"No…why…?"

She smirked and took her shirt and fastened the buttons so that they came about to middle of her cleavage. Then she pulled on her skirt and left the shirt hanging out.

She then turned to him, her eyes twinkling, and crawling on all-fours, she moved back over to him and leaned in whispering, "Just put on the bare minimum you need in order to drive and let's go somewhere…somewhere where the others wouldn't dream of looking for us. Somewhere…more private."

His eyes widened. "Uhm…"

"C'mon…it'll be better than being in this stinking place, and besides…haven't you ever thought of doing something reckless? It'd be fun to for once, do something extremely unpredictable. I think we should and just go with the wind."

He turned his eyes outside, noting that the rain had lifted within the last few minutes. Then casting a gaze back over to her, he nodded and stood up, only putting on his pants and shoes. He then tied his shirt through the belt loop of his jeans.

He folded his arms over his bare chest and smirked. "Ok…so, where do you have in mind?"

She paused then replied, "somewhere not in the direction of Tokyo!"

Nodding, he picked up his supplies and headed out, with her, to his parked motorcycle, leaving behind his helmet. He didn't have a second one with him because he hadn't thought about bringing it. He had after all, been going out for a drive to vent.

In seconds, the pair were nothing more than a blur through the peaceful countryside, heading south from Tokyo to wherever fate took them.

It would be well over 3 days after both Shannon and Yui disappeared from Tokyo without a word. No one had really noticed Yui was gone because she had lied about her parents being home and Jonathan maintained his twin was extremely self-sufficient. It was only after class on Monday that Miaka grew concern. She had gone without talking to Yui that weekend, but didn't think any of it until she didn't see her friend in class.

She had gone to a pay phone after class, getting no pick up at the other end, only to put it down with a sad sigh, feeling deeply concerned for Yui.

Turning around, she bumped into Michiko.

"Ah, sorry!"

"It's ok." Michiko replied, shifting her bag on her shoulder. She then paused and peered closely at Miaka. "Is something wrong?"

"It's Yui-chan! She didn't show up in class today and she isn't at home, and she didn't talk to me this weekend. She had said something about her parents being home this weekend and wanting to spend time with them, but if her parents are home; her mother would've answered, since her mother works from home."

"I'm sure she's ok. She's a survivor." Michiko replied comfortingly placing an arm around Miaka's shoulder. "Maybe Shannon will know where she is. Doesn't he work at the same place that taka does?"

Nodding slowly, Miaka gazed up. "Yes he does…but…"

"But…?"

She sighed. "I couldn't reach him this weekend. Jonathan said his twin left the house in a fit of anger and took his motorcycle and nothing else and hasn't returned since. I only know because I was supposed to get homework help yesterday."

Michiko didn't know what to say and the two were consequently walking in silence – for at least 10 blocks, if not more. They were headed for the café, hoping to find at least one person who could provide them with an answer.

Arriving there, Miaka blinked, finding her usual table usurped by Keisuke and Tetsuya, who motioned for her and Michiko to join them. Making haste, Miaka immediately sat down in the first available chair.

"Oniichan, what are you doing here?"

Keisuke shrugged. "No idea now. We were here hoping that O'Kelly showed up with Shijin Tenchisho because Tetsuya wants to check something, since he noticed a few oddities lately, but according to Taka, O'Kelly hasn't checked in for his shift and it began over 4 hours ago."

Miaka arched an eyebrow, as Taka walked over and placed a Danish pastry down in front of her, and winked. "On the house as usual…" he replied, trailing off, noticing the sadness in Miaka's eyes.

Noting that there were few people around and the manager was busy, Taka sat down. "What's wrong?"

"That asshole hasn't shown up for work and I need that book!" Tetsuya exclaimed scathing, only to get a bolt of patent Bitch-Lightening shot at him. "OW! What the hell was that for?"

"He wasn't talking to you." Michiko replied nastily. She really didn't like him. She smirked. "And unless you want me to run you through again, shut-up and let Miaka talk."

"No wonder Nakago hated you – you're such a fucking malicious bitch." Tetsuya retorted, as he reached over, grabbing onto Keisuke, hoping it would deter her from trying to fry him.

Yelping, Keisuke wailed, "No! Tetsuya! She'll fry us both! Let me go if you're going to insult her!"

Of course, it was too late, as the electricity hit both of them.

Growling, Keisuke smacked Tetsuya. "I told you! I mean, I hate O'Kelly and her as much as you do, but do not go dragging me into your badly picked fights!"

At that moment, strictly for her own amusement, Michiko shot another bolt of carefully directed lightening at Keisuke.

"Yum…crispy fried assholes…my favourite!" Jonathan remarked, as he leaned against the waist high fence that surrounded the café patio. He shifted his backpack on his shoulder and smirked coyly.

Snarling, Tetsuya turned and threw the serviette holder at Jonathan. "Shut the hell up. I don't need you riding my ass today."

"Just because I'm bi, doesn't mean I'll fuck you hard up the ass, and if I did, you wouldn't be sitting for a week because I hate using lube."

"Oh, lovely…thank you for that description…" Michiko replied disgusted. "We could've done without that."

Taka, who had been speaking softly with Miaka, his forehead pressed against hers, looked up. "I hate to break up this little banter fest, but I think we've got a problem on our hands. Yui isn't around and Miaka has every right to be worried. We should start our own search before we go to the police, since we haven't felt change in her chi …yet.

"And Jonathan…have any idea where Shannon is? He'd be a big help here."

"My brother went AWOL three days ago."

Michiko smirked. "Missing girl plus missing boy… You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out. They probably put on a little show because they wanted some privacy and no one to interfere."

Jonathan rolled his eyes. "My brother is firstly too conservative to have even thought about such things and secondly, he flat out rejected Yui over a week ago and refuses to reconcile, to a degree with her so that they stay friends and I don't get screwed because she won't be around because he's an asshole."

"Jonathan is right. Shannon just doesn't go missing without a good reason. However, he'd try and kill himself without a good reason…" Taka added with a cool shrug.

Jonathan glared at Taka, resenting the callousness of the offhanded remark. He knew his twin had a thing for self-mutilation, and suicide, but he didn't need a reminder of this 'fetish' of his twin's.

"Thank you for that reminder!" he seethed scathingly, his teeth clenched.

"What? It's true…" Michiko replied calmly. "Why else would I have had to take away a knife from him so I wouldn't have to watch him slit his wrists when I asked him about Yui…?"

"I had been wondering why he looked like someone pissed in his coffee that time…" Taka mused.

Jonathan really didn't feel comfortable being around anyone when they openly and nonchalantly spoke of his twin's, in Jonathan's eyes, mental illness – well, it was. He really didn't like to be reminded of it, since he had come close to losing his beloved twin on many occasions.

"Someone might as well have. Then again, he always looks like someone did…" Michiko replied flippantly. She paused then added. "Maybe it's good he isn't here. He was always stubborn about helping Yui, and shedding his own blood…."

Standing up, Jonathan moved away from the table without a word. He didn't want to hear the rest of this. He didn't have the time to listen to this.

"Jonathan, wait!" Miaka held out her hand then got up to follow him. "Don't go! I need you to help me find Yui-chan! I can't rely on Shannon for this one… You're my only other hope."

Taka sat back, feeling like a ton of bricks had been dropped on him. He had led himself to believe that Miaka could count on him for anything.

"I'll help, but I'm going alone because I don't need to listen to Taka and Michiko talk about my brother like that! I know he has a problem, but I don't need a fucking reminder of it!" Jonathan retorted, his body shaking with uncontrollable anger.

"But you know it's true…he even admitted it himself…" Michiko replied icily.

Jonathan's eyes narrowed. His lips were drawn into a thin line and a shrill piercing whistle shot through the small part in his teeth, his body radiating with a pulsing negative aura.

The majority cried out, their hands flying up to shield their ears from that awful mind numbing whistle.

His flute was merely a means by which to transform his chi into something more, but in this form, it was the harshest on the human mind and soul; it was his chi in the raw and unfiltered with unabashed anger, stemming from pure truth.

None of them had the means by which to defend against this attack.

Miaka gazed up, her plaintive gaze filled with tears. "Stop… Jonathan…please stop!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears, as the aura of darkness befell him and his chi, radiating negatively.

His finger tips caressed the smooth metal of his masterfully crafted flute. "I said not to say that… I don't need you to rub in what I already know…but you don't understand my pain, but perhaps I can make you understand…"

His eyes flashed dangerously, his lips pursing as the cool mouth piece made contact with his lips and his trade mark skull shattering tone. He could feel his twin's own rage pulsing through his body; the rage of someone unable to express their bottled up frustrations.

'You crossed the line… You crossed the line...' Jonathan thought sullenly.

Michiko, who while had seen him in the midst of battle, had never been at the business end of his flute before and boy did it hurt!

"You…" Taka gazed up, his body shaking, as he forced himself up under the burdening weight of Jonathan's chi. "What the hell…"

He pulled the flute from his lips. "You have no right to speak. None of you do. None of you until you understand my pain and each stab at the core of my soul you're taking with your callous remarks."

For what seemed an eternity, but nary a few seconds, Jonathan was in control of their fates, until a stream of cold air shot by him. Distracted by it, he fell aside, narrowly missing coming into contract with ice snakes.

'What the…' He gazed back, searching for the owner of that foreign yet distinct chi.

"Nice dodge. I didn't expect that someone so engrossed as you to have decent reflexes…" The young man remarked, his long silver hair dancing in the wind. From in front of him, the shadows of his snakes waned, allowing a view of his face, which revealed that the young man wore an eye patch.

Jonathan had two fronts to fight on, but he had to pick his fights carefully…

Behind him, whimpers steadily emitted from Miaka, who had the fangs from the ice snakes still lodged in her. Taka had managed to get rid of most of the ice, but struggled.

Michiko wasn't too pleased, thought fortunately most of the ice that had come her way was now on the ground, crackling with live electricity.

The young man folded his arms and smugly remarked. "It is quite pleasant…for once, the fight won't be so one sided…since O'Kelly is not around to meddle in this little affair…"

"Just what the hell do you want?" Jonathan seethed.

"I think you mean…what do we want…" a silky female voice purred, as a tall, sexy young woman of form emerged from seemingly nowhere, as another young man landed beside her, having merely teleported in from his hiding spot.

'Oh shit…who the hell are these assholes?' Jonathan wondered, very displeased with the current situation.

"It's a pity Paddy isn't here, because he'd make the fight quite interesting, especially since he is the only one who knows how to stand up against us. After all…" she remarked coldly. "Tamahome is a useless fighter, Soi can't fight if there is too much metal around, and you…what do you intend to do anyway? Serenade us with your wee flute?"

A short chortle came from the third person. "He may look like O'Kelly, but he ain't half the fighter O'Kelly is…" He remarked in German. The girl smiled.

"What the fuck do you want with us anyway?"

"To die and be a cheap funeral…" the girl remarked icily.

At precisely the same moment, at a location a hundred kilometres south of Tokyo in a nondescript town, another attack was being launched, though it was going to encounter unnecessary opposition due to lack of hindsight. Spontaneity always serves to foil the best laid plans.

Or at least it was for our little psychotic bomb wielding American friend, Mitch Dallas, as he stood, watching and waiting. He had seen his target – one Karl Schwartz – enter the office tower. He had planted the bomb in a good location after much research, now all he had to do was sit and wait…

He leaned back against the wall of the building, whose roof he stood atop; holding palm pilot. He needed a few minutes of something to do while he waited for his target to get on location. He had planted a microphone in the office so that he could listen…

He blinked and tapped the left receiver of his headphones, wondering why he wasn't hearing a thing; then cried out as the sound of a microphone being crushed shattered his concentration.

Growling to himself, he rested the headphones around his neck and pocketing his palm pilot, he ran down to street level, only to immediately crash into someone he wasn't expecting to….

"Aw fuck…"

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing…you ought to watch where the fuck you're going, Yank…"

Sneering, Mitch retorted, "You weren't fucking supposed to be here…"

"Oh, really? Let me guess…foiled your plans?"

"Actually…in an ironic twist of fate you're helping to aid our advancement…"

From behind Shannon came a shriek, as ice began to snake up Yui's legs.

"For you see…you've delivered not only yourself, but your dear Priestess into my hands and soon, all you traitors and worthless humans alike will be nothing more than a mere blood stain on the wall…"

"_Ah yes, Mitch, do come in." a deep male voice ordered._

_Walking into the back room of the CIA headquarters in LA, Mitch carefully stepped over and moved to where his superior, Colonel Thomas Anderson stood._

"_Yes sir?"_

_Mitch wasn't in the CIA, but he was the subordinate to Anderson, as his Byakko counterparts were subordinate to Karl Schwartz._

"_I need you to embark on a top secret mission. I have Atkins going to Tokyo with Dietrich to take care of the infestation problem there. I need you to end to a small but thriving business centre in the southern parts of Japan, outside of Osaka. You'll be tracking Schwartz and once he's away from people, as we don't need to be endangering other lives…there has been enough collateral damage with his help…"_

_Mitch nodded and accepted the piece of paper that his superior handed to him, as he explained, succinctly, the task at hand._

_He nodded. "So, what reason do we have to kill him?"_

"_After some observation, it is my professional opinion that he is acting against our cause. He has likely been feeding information to his eldest son all of these years. It seemed like too much of a coincidence that they were always two steps ahead of us…" Colonel Anderson explained as he sagely polished his glock._

_Folding the paper with the base instructions, Mitch slipped it into the rear pocket of his jeans. "Well, that does make sense…"_

"_So, you'll have to take care of Schwartz. Don't worry about interference; his little friends will be kept busy with a toxic mix of our finer power set."_

_Nodding, Mitch sighed, "You're not sending Adrianna after them?"_

"_Yes, but not unequipped… She is going in with Atkins and Dietrich, with Palmerton and Ramirez as back up."_

"_Oh and you're sending me in without back up?"_

"_Oh, come now…there is no reason to sounds jealous, Dallas. I trust your abilities. Besides, if I didn't, wouldn't I be sending you with your own personal armed escort?" Colonel Anderson remarked smoothly._

_Folding his arms, he cast an unimpressed gaze at his superior. "And is this supposed to make me feel better? You know fucking damn well that Schwartz always packs heat."_

"_You're a creative little bastard, I'm quite sure you can think outside the box." Colonel Anderson remarked, as he placed his gun down. He paused and after a brief moment added, "though…if it is unavoidable, collateral damage will be ignored. After all, war isn't a clean mistress…she likes it rough…"_

_Mitch refused to comment on the immediately imagery that this flickered in his overactive imagination. He merely blinked and stared straight ahead, waiting for this moment to pass and he could get that image out of his head._

_The colonel smiled an oddly serene smile. He reached into his desk and pulled out a small package and slid it across the desk. "This is a nice little bomb. It is good for limited area of effect. I like this if I need to blow up a room… It can be either denoted with a palm pilot or with a cell phone._

"_Everything you need is in this little box. I'm sure you'll be able to make short work of our dear friend Schwartz. I'm counting on you, Dallas, because Atkins doesn't have the balls for dirty deeds."_

_There was just something about that smile that Mitch didn't feel comfortable with…_

"Ah, yes, a mere blood stain on the wall and your little cunt will make a nice little whore…she looks like a nice fuck…" Mitch purred lecherously, only to get a fist straight in the jaw.

He fell back, blood dripping out of the side of his mouth. He glared up at Shannon, who stared down at him, pointing a barrel between Mitch's eyes.

"Look here you little fucking wank, if you want to talk about that kind of shit, let's talk about you being sodomized by a broom stick by me and see how you like being raped up the ass…"

"Heh…the likes of you don't got the balls…"

"But you're the one who's a dickless asshole…after all, who threatens a girl?"

Mitch, who had lost his concentration after being punched in the jaw, gasped something of a guttural sound as a second gun was pointed to his head.

A deep male voice, heavily laced with a German accent remarked, "Well, so this is who Anderson sends after me. He doesn't think much of me, does he? Nor does he have the hindsight that Shannon will wreck any of his less than best laid plans…"

Glancing up, Shannon's eyes narrowed. "Well, isn't this sweet…it looks like two of the assholes I need to kill are right here…"

"Stop worrying about killing me and get back to Tokyo and get Yui out of here! You're friends are facing opposition from Anderson's cronies and he doesn't send them in alone… though for this moron he did make an exception." The man said quietly, his gaze fixed on Shannon.

"Heh…" Isn't this amusing…especially since I never did plant that bomb in the Hyatt…" Mitch remarked, pulling it out of his pocket. "I have it right here and I could very well take the both of you with me to hell…"


	32. Chapter 32

Fly by Night

**Fly by Night**

_Fly by night, away from here  
Change my life again  
Fly by night, goodbye my dear  
My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend  
Moon rise, thoughtful eyes  
Staring back at me from the window beside  
No fright or hindsight  
Leaving behind that empty feeling inside_

(_Fly by Night_, Fly by Night, Rush)

A thin cold laugh escaped Mitch. "You think that you'll both get away? That's where you're wrong. I may have been raise as one, but, given the chance…" he toyed with the bomb in his hand. "I just might…"

Shannon lowered the gun he had pointed at the older man, sheathing it in his shoulder holster in favour of wielding his Ryuuseisui. He didn't put away the one he had pointed at Mitch; that would be a mistake, despite that the other guy was pointing a gun at Mitch's head as well.

A strange and oddly familiar smirk caressed the man's lips. "Ah, the Ryuuseisui…" he purred softly, his eyes lighting up gleefully. He then switched into a language he knew Shannon spoke and that Mitch wouldn't understand.

He held out his gun, giving the handle to Shannon. "Take this. Since we're going to be demonstrating our skills for the world to see, I might as well join in."

"What the…?" Mitch murmured. He had a small shield of ice circling him. "That's not German… You really did…"

Holding out his arms, in the blink of an eye, the man vanished and in his place appeared a handsome, Doberman Pinscher.

"Kieran…" Was all Shannon could manage, as he stared at the dog.

Mitch just stared dumbfound at the animal.

Using the chance, Yui reached down and picked up a decent size rock and bashed it against the ice that was encased around her legs. She noticed that it had stopped climbing when the man had changed form.

It wasn't hard, since the ice was in contact with above freezing temperatures. And, in combination with her body temperature and movement of the legs, she was able to get out of the ice while the three nearby fought.

Actually it would be more accurate to say, while Karl, in the form of a Doberman, and Shannon, wielding duel weapons, terrorised Mitch, who had dropped his bomb, which turned out to be a dud.

Yui watched, amazed. She had never seen a Seishi that was able to change forms before; she had never thought that it was even a skill possibility. It seemed rather pointless in battle because said person would then be without clothing when they turned back into their human form.

But then, what unfolded next before her eyes, was almost surreal.

She had never really seen Shannon fight before.

He was admittedly highly skilled and the man who had managed to change forms was equally as powerful. The third guy was lacked a certain flair to his style, but he wasn't short on tricks. He seemed to like ice and awful lot. He used ice arrows as his primary weapon when conventional weapons weren't being drawn.

Dodging the Ryuuseisui and narrowly escaping its wrath, Mitch balanced on the back of a bench before balling up his fist, which crackled; a ball of sizzling green light manifesting around his hand. He smirked, and ran.

The two others went after him, the one in the animal form, crashing into an invisible wall, and stumbling, seemingly stunned from the impact, while the other failed to notice. He only took notice when the first of the three Ryuuseisui he had manifested ricocheted off the wall of ice.

He dodged it skilfully, only to set himself immediately in the line of fire of another one that had hit the wall just mere seconds before the second one had. The first one hit him right in the chest, sending him down onto his back.

Mitch hadn't noticed and had since vanished from sight.

Yui froze in place – she had no idea how to react.

The other Seishi present, Karl, was far quicker. He had instantly returned to his human form, grabbed the clothing for his lower half and in the same third second span, folded up his shirt into a ball and pressed it down on the wound.

He turned to Yui, and in English, his accent unmasked, barked, "Take off your blazer and give it here! I need it for the back! Just do it, girl!"

Fearing what may happen; Yui swiftly complied and removing her blazer, handed it over.

Seizing it from her out stretched hand, he folded it up and put it under Shannon, hoping to try and stop the blood flow out of the back.

'Damnit…'

He didn't want to take his hand off it, but he desperately needed to get out his cell phone.

His eyes darted over again to Yui, and reaching into his pocket, he fished out his cell phone and tossed it to her. "Call 911 – I don't speak Japanese. You'll have to translate, if you understand!"

She fumbled with it, but didn't drop it. She blinked at it then flipping it out, dialled the number she knew to be associated with such services.

She turned her back to them; she didn't feel she could face the pair now…

Even if she was, she was distracted by the operator's questions and had no idea what was being said by the two…

"…Karl…? No, Kieran. What's going on…?" Shannon whispered softly, an anguish groan following the end of his partial question. "Why are you here? I…"

"I was here when Dallas attacked." He replied, handing his rosary to Shannon. "Take this…"

Holding the rosary in his hand, he gingerly twirled the beads between his fingers. "God can't…He can't make me come now… I… I haven't confessed…"

"You won't need Last Rites." Karl replied, speaking in the language Shannon was most comfortable in. "God isn't that cruel…"

Crying softly, he moved the cross of the rosary between his fingers. "Yes… He hates sinners… I… I… I don't want to go to hell… please… Kieran…"

"Listen to me. Don't say that! You survived a lot of shit, including yourself, and you're going to let one measly wall of ice stop you?"

"The… first time…" he flinched, tears of pain falling from the corners of his eyes. "…my… ryuu…sei…sui… went through… me… I died. This…won't be any…different."

Karl was lost for words. He honestly had no recourse for reply. It wasn't from the shock of his son's words, more than just knowing the kid likely wouldn't make it without a miracle.

Yui ran over; there was something wild about the panicked glint in her eyes… "Give me his keys!"

"What the…?" Karl's eyes shot up.

"Just give them to me and go with him when the ambulance comes." Yui explained than gave him a Japanese phrase to use.

Bending over, she took the keys that had fallen beside Shannon and kissing him, ran off.

"What the…?" Karl growled; his gaze off Shannon for a mere minute. "What the hell is she doing?"

"To summon Seiryuu…"

"How quaint…a god summoning…" Karl murmured under his breathe, only to suddenly exclaim, "WHAT?? No, you can't, get back here! Wait… you'll only play into his hands!"

He paused, remembering what he was doing, as he felt a hand reach for his.

Groaning softly, Shannon grabbed for the only hand that was near him. "I… please don't let me die… I don't want Jonathan to die…" he whispered, his eyes clouded over with tears. "My brother… I… I want my brother…"

"Your brother will be fine. You'll be back with him shortly…" Karl whispered in reply. 'Damnit! I can't leave him yet I have to stop her. I don't need Tenkou getting what he wants! This is exactly what they want!'

He sighed to himself, while pressing the shirt on the opened wound, hoping to curb the flow of blood. 'If she does, she'll break the final seal and Tenkou will unleash a thousand years of darkness with Nyosei-Maijin.'

He swallowed a lump and touched Shannon's face. "Don't do that yet… I didn't let you die that time and I won't let it happen now."

"That's…right… you saved me then…didn't you, Kieran?" Shannon whispered. "You helped me… even though… you…hated me…"

"Hated you?" Karl replied. He knew most people would've told someone severely injured to save their strength, but if he could keep the mind active, maybe he could prevent him from going too soon. "I never hated you…" He paused. "Shannon?"

He paused; no response…

Time can stand still, even for just a fraction of a second, but when it does, in a blur, the world passes by, nothing is sacred.

Even if time doesn't stand still, mere minutes in the heat of the battle can seem like an eternity when uncertainty prevails. It is the mask under which chaos slips unnoticed into the heat of the moment, taking all unsuspecting folk by sheer storm.

For the ten minutes or so that had passed before the clock struck 4:21pm, a battle had ensued. It hadn't been a great one, but it had been played out by those who saw only the enemy and felt the burning passion of desire to protect what was sacred.

The café wasn't the best place for a battle, but, for the group that stood on top of the one-story structure, it wasn't a bad idea. They had an advantage over their enemies who held the ground turf.

The group of five had no problem with provoking the others…

A short chortle came from a tall young man, with wispy silver hair, and gold hoped earrings, which could easily double as weapons. "He may look like O'Kelly, but he ain't half the fighter O'Kelly is…" He remarked in German. The girl smiled.

Taka balled his hands into fists, entering a battle stance. "What do you want with us anyway?"

"To die and be a cheap funeral…" the girl remarked icily.

"Or, just die, plain and simple, no da." A rather jolly voice remarked, despite the dark venom-filled words.

"Heh, as you can see, you're clearly out numbered. So, why don't you all just line up and take your deaths accordingly." The long hair young man remarked.

Jonathan smirked. "Isn't it customary to at least brag before you kill us, and at least provide us with your names? After all, the victorious have names while the defeated are faceless statistics."

"Well, we could, since we already know who you worthless urchins are…" the girl replied cruelly, bearing her fangs. "I am Genbu Seishi, Iname, though, my allies better know me as Eireanna O'Kelly…"

Michiko squeaked and in her mother tongue whimpered, "Did she just bare her fangs?"

Taka shuddered. "Is she a vampire?"

Ignoring the others, Eireanna twirled a spiral of green light around her hand. "Now, Jonathan, I can give you some options for death. You can become a vampire, die painfully, or die through one of my sensual illusions?"

"Oh, I didn't realise that Tomo also had a girl form. I'm impressed, though, saddened because you're not as sexy as I would've hoped." Jonathan remarked snidely, his lips twisted into a nasty sneer.

Eireanna's eyes flared haughtily. "The insolence…" she hissed.

"What do you expect? Shannon's my twin… of course we're cut from the same cloth. You can't honestly share a place with him without picking up on some of his habits…" Jonathan replied, pulling out a gun. "Like this one…"

He cocked it at her.

Michiko smirked at Taka and whispered, "I think that's our cue… I'm taking out the pretty boy with the earrings. He'll fry nicely. You can work over the other losers."

"Uh... the one with the long hair uses ice… and…" Taka's eyes roved over the group. "The other two won't be a challenge at all, well, at least not the Spanish guy."

"You know, I could use some help here before I bust heads open." Jonathan scathingly seethed through clenched teeth, throwing an evil eye back at Michiko and Taka who were whispering amongst one another.

"Oh, you want _our_ help?" Michiko replied in a syrupy voice.

Chortling, Eireanna regarded the scene before her with amusement. "What's the matter? Have they figured out that you betrayed them after all this time? That you're the one who killed Bartecelli and Tereshkova… opps… wrong twin…"

"What the hell are you talking about…?" Jonathan snarled, his eyes narrowing. He didn't like the sound of that.

Eireanna shrugged. "Oh, you mean your beloved twin never informed you of his plans? OF the fact that he was using your trust to gain the trust of your allies, in order to kill those he didn't want living? You know that there were no survivors from that attack. You only thought so…and unlike Bartecelli, I don't rely on a medium to make my illusions strong…"

"Blah, blah, blah-fucking blah…" An impatient voice remarked, in a thick German accent. "You talk long enough? Time to kill… get revenge for… Aaron…"

"Chill… I'm getting to know my brother-by-proxy better…" Eireanna remarked coolly. "It's not nice to kill family without at least talking to them first."

"If I recall, you didn't have trouble with abandoning Tomite, did you, Iname?! This only proves that you're a self-serving bitch." The long haired reincarnation remarked.

"Hikitsu, I don't believe I asked for your opinion and for that matter, his father took him from me and drove me out of that town!" Eireanna replied condescendingly to the long-haired young man, better known as Jerry Atkins.

He shrugged. "Tough…"

"Meow… get a room you two…" Jonathan remarked lecherously, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Da… this is taking too long." The young man, with insanely long bangs, dyed blue remarked. "Perhaps a little magic could make this interesting, no da."

"Heh… what's the matter? Can't fight a Seiryuu Seishi alone?" Jonathan sneered.

"I could say something snide regarding your Suzaku companion, but, it would be futile, since he can't fight for shit." Eireanna retorted coldly.

Taka glowered at her. He had never met this Genbu Seishi before, but she was really pissing him off. There was something about her that he just didn't like.

"Well, I wouldn't have agreed with you before, but… well, then again, my brother can mop the floor with anyone he fights against."

"Oooo! That sounds like a wager! I think if we're going to fight, let's skip the petty fights and pit our strongest against each other. Tenkou versus Suboshi…"

Michiko gasped gutturally. "Shannon against Tenkou? That is unfair!"

"You're right… ok… my brother versus the whole lot of us!" Eireanna smirked.

Jonathan groaned. "Way to make things worse." He sighed. "Fine… if it'll resolve this, then we'll fight it traditionally. No arsenal other than what the Gods gave us. Therefore, Tenkou will have his powers versus my brother's telekinesis."

"This should be lovely… oh, and, your father says hi, and has suggested that you prepare to go to your birth father's funeral." Eireanna remarked flippantly.

She then motioned for the others to follow, and vanished from sight.

The one known as Jerry lurked for a moment, sneering at Jonathan. He loathed his fellow American. 'I know a damned democrat when I see one…' he thought nastily, as he balled up his hand into a fist, summoning a sizzling orb of green lightening. He threw it at Jonathan.

As the green lightening orb propelled towards Jonathan, it changed forms, becoming several large ice snakes, with their mouths opened, fangs bared. The group encased the Seiryuu Seishi in a nasty python grip.

Jerry smirked. This was amusing.

He gasped, as something blue burst through the ice shattering the ice into billions of tiny shards, which melted almost instantaneously. The blue light was abruptly replaced with a massive flood of blood that gushed from an unexpected wound that manifested from nowhere.

Jonathan just stood there, stunned. He had no idea what happened, until he felt blood on his hands. His whole body quivered. The ice hadn't penetrated him. There was no way that it was done by a gun; no weapon, no matter how lethal would leave a hole that big in his chest.

Shortness of breath overwhelmed him and he fell to his knees, Miaka rushing to his side.

He wasn't hearing anything she was saying.

His mind instead went elsewhere, reaching out for any response he could get from Shannon.

He felt nothing; it was like he was shut off from the one source that provided comfort when nothing else did.

He didn't try to open his eyes when he heard his name being called.

He was in too much pain; though the physical pain dwindled in the light of the mental anguish from having sensed no link to his twin. He needed it; he needed to be reassured.

He exhaled, his sights slipping into the embrace of darkness….

She paced the hall.

She wanted to be away from here, in a place where she could've summoned Seiryuu. But, she hadn't been able to turn her back when she heard the sirens fading into the distance. Instead, a compulsion drove her to take the motorcycle and drive it to the hospital she knew was the general one for the area.

Thus, she was here, but stuck outside the room because she refused to be in the same general vicinity as Kieran.

The man made her blood curdle angrily. There was something about his arrogance that just rubbed her the wrong way. She had tried to speak to him, but he had come off as being a cocky prat, who wouldn't listen to common sense.

Her eyes darted in the door's direction, thinking she heard the soft creak of hinges, but instead frowned. 'Damnit… he's taking too damn long! I don't know what his connection to Shannon is, but it is getting on my nerves…'

She sighed annoyed, and snorted derisively, as she propped herself lazily up against the wall.

'Great… the moron's praying again. That'll take a while…'

She glanced impatiently at her watch. She had spent the last three days like this; trying to avoid Kieran and spend as much time with Shannon as she could. She had an itching suspicion that Kieran knew this and was deliberately trying to make her life miserable…

'Well, he's succeeding.' She thought grimly, her express meek, as her eyes moved impassively across the blank wall. 'Because I'm stuck out here and he's in there….'

She growled and fuming, went back to pacing.

Opening the door, his deep blue eyes landed on her. "Sorry, was I taking too long again?" he remarked coyly, flashing a nasty smirk.

Her lip curled, her resentment shining through. "Yes, you know you did!"

Karl chuckled coldly. "Well, I'm sorry, but, really, if you'd listen to me, maybe we wouldn't have this problem. There is a very simple…."

"The simple thing would be for you to stay the hell away. Its obvious Shannon hates you! If he hadn't been hit by his Ryuuseisui, he'd have put you out of your misery." Yui spat crossly, her eyes narrowed into thin cat-like slits.

"Be that as it is, regardless of whether or not he hates me…"

"Don't brush it off as irrelevant!!"

"I'm not; I think it's quite relevant. Though, how can you say he hates me? If he truly hated me, he'd have ignored his incapacitated state so that he could've killed me or weaken me to a degree."

"You're rationalizing it again! I can't go into see him with you in there!"

"And why not?" Karl asked, clearly amused by her anger.

"Because…because…" Yui sputtered indignantly. "Well…because!"

"That is…" Karl paused for dramatic effect, "a darn compelling reason…" the sarcasm dripped from his voice.

"Don't patronize me!"

"I'll give you credit for one thing, at least you don't swear at me."

"It's rude for a girl to swear!" Yui replied haughtily. Then scathingly added, "no changing the topic!"

"I wasn't. I was merely giving credit where credit is due." Karl shrugged coolly. "After all, you don't address me as cruelly as my son does."

Yui blinked; then blanched. The colour drained from her face. "S…s…son?"

"I had been trying to tell you, but, you were so damn inclined on being a pigheaded git."

Yui was speechless. This man had more reason to be here than she ever did.

Slowly, she brought her gaze back over, remembering something Shannon had said once, many months ago.

"But, doesn't Shannon hate you? I thought you messed up his life…"

"I never did. Contrary, I tried to prevent most of it, though I failed because my younger half-brother made my life hard. He hated be for faking death, and when he realised it was my eldest son he had in his custody, he used the boy to hurt me. Though I reckon he doesn't realise that what happened to Shannon really did… there was some denial."

Yui sighed; her eyes closing then opening again. She wasn't sure what to think.

Karl reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. He softly remarked, an odd gentleness to his voice, "He might benefit from hearing a voice that isn't mine. Reach out to him. Speaking to someone who isn't conscious, keeps them sane. It seems strange, but a voice will keep them from losing it entirely."

Yui swallowed deeply. She didn't understand. She had been short with the man, whose name she didn't even know, and he was being level with her.

She said the only thing she could think of, "You know… you never told me your name."

Heading for the door, he opened it. "Well, I have two names… which one should I introduce myself as?"

Entering, Yui sat in a seat. "Which ever one is the one you go by."

"Ok, then its Karl Kai Schwartz. Though, I hate it. It's not real name. Like I said, I had faked death. My real name, though it's not legal name any more, is Kieran Tracey." He replied, as he took the seat next to her.

She nodded and held out her hand. "My name is…"

"I know, you're Yui; Seiryuu no Miko."

She cocked an eyebrow wearily in his direction. "How do…?"

"Well, given Shannon's description of you from previous conversations, it only makes sense. Though, the description was missing one thing – your hair is long, not short."

Her brow furrowed, her scepticism deeply rooted. "But… how would you know? You know he hates you, and when he hates someone, he doesn't give them any leeway."

Karl nodded. "But, he had no problem when he didn't realise it was me; he had no problem with Kieran. He never had a problem with Kieran. He trusted me until he went back to Belfast. My brother fed him lies after he blacked out in a fit of delirium."

Yui's eyes glided back to Shannon, her hand reaching out, gingerly caressing his face. She didn't know what to say to Karl. She wanted to ask him more, but she had a fear that Shannon would hear and prevent her from seeking knowledge.

"I don't understand you…" she whispered softly.

Karl sat back, shrugged reticently. "Even I don't understand him, despite knowing what happened to him."

Yui glanced up. "Could you tell me? He refuses to tell me and Jonathan denies knowing anything." She inquired, biting her lip.

"I… sorry, I can't tell you. It's really up to Shannon if he wants to tell you. It would be unfair if I told you without his consent. It's the kind of thing that a person should come to terms with themselves." Karl remarked sagely. "And… it'll take more than time for him to heal. He had no mother to lean on. My brother wasn't much of a father to him; didn't give him the support he needed."

Yui leaned in, giving him her best plaintive gaze. "I've been asking him and he won't give in, but I know it's hurting him, and if I knew, I could help him… I love him and if I knew what happened, I could make it easier for him to talk about it."

Karl blinked at her; giving her a condescending blank stare. "No."

"C'mon…" she pleaded her voice cracking. "Please…?"

Karl touched his hand to his chin, cupping it astutely. "Hmn… no."

Folding her arms, Yui grunted indignantly. "If you had any compassion for his well being…"

He chuckled. "Oh, no, don't even start with blackmail because that's one fight you'll lose."

"Well…well… I'll find out!" She retorted annoyed, and smirked. "So… if I got you a cup of coffee, would that be a step in the right direction?"

"As much as I would like one, bribery isn't going to help you, Yui."

Growling softly, she fell back into her slump. 'There has to be something…' She closed her eyes tightly, massaging her temples.

She wracked her brain for ideas. She needed something; there had be to something she could use…

"Meike…" she murmured.

"Hm?" he inquired monosyllabically.

Yui's eyes widened gleefully. 'I think I got him…'

"Meike… she's quite interesting…"

"Really? How so?"

"So…" she drawled. "I was talking to Meike and she has this belief that her father is an asshole – her words! Then again, Shannon has this thing for being manipulative."

"I highly doubt that it was anything he said. Aleit would've no doubt had her chance long before Shannon spoke with his sister."

Fuming, Yui fell silent again. This guy was impossible to persuade. Nothing was going to work. It was futile. Most people she could get an answer from.

The puppy eyes failed, blackmail and bribery failed, and the good old fashion subtle persuasion fell dead in its tracks before it got off the ground.

Giving her a sympathetic gaze, he touched her hand. "I'd much like to tell you, but, I can't because I want to prove to my son that he had trust me regardless. Even if I don't have his respect, I want to try and gain some trust."

"And by not talking?"

"Speaking on something the person hasn't come to terms with is a breech of trust."

Silence fell on the room.

Yui glanced off to the side, and Karl took out his rosary.

"It's ok…" a voice softly whispered.

The two gazed up sharply.

"It's ok; go ahead and tell her Kieran. I'll never be able to tell her. I don't have the courage… it still hurts too much to think about it."

"Shannon."


	33. Chapter 33

**a/n**: am I glad I checked over this long fanfic. I can't believe I had the same two chapters in a row. This is the real chapter 33. Man do I feel stupid.

* * *

**At Last…a Truth**

He blinked curiously. Why was he being given permission when it was clear that his son didn't trust him? Further, he had never called him Kieran to his face, not since the incident at Father Gallagher's house. He had heard of it from O'Shawna in the last conversation he had with her.

"Shannon… why can't you tell her?"

"I said…. I'm a coward. I can't face my own demons. I'd slit my wrists a thousand times before I'd ever be able to tell her what happened."

"That's the flimsiest excuse I've ever heard and I'm a manager of Tax Collection at internal revenue."

"Hn…"

"No grunting at me!"

Karl reached over and swiftly smacked Shannon upside the head.

Whimpering, Shannon massaged the sore spot and pouted indignantly. "What the fuck did you do that for, old man?"

"Well, it seems to have garnered a response from you…" Karl replied contented, his lips twisted into something of a satisfied smirk.

Growling, Shannon slumped back on the bed, folding his arms over his chest. "Asshole…"

"Same to you.'

Yui's eye twitched; there was an irritant in the air getting to her. 'Does stupidity run in their genes?'

Shannon cast a cursory glance over at Karl. His lip curled into a sneer. "So… what gives? Why the hell do you have two names? Hell, for that matter, why the hell did you even bother to help me when you've wanted to kill me? Tell me so I know what I need to do…Kieran, if that is your name." His tone perked arrogantly, a hint of resent sprinkled on for flavour.

Karl sat back. "Of course, you'd be sceptical. I don't blame you."

"And another thing, pick an accent and stick with it!"

"I never spoke to you with another one…"

"But I've heard you…"

"Pure show."

"Hn."

Karl's wrist flicked up, connecting with the base of Shannon's head. "What did I tell you about grunting at me?"

"That it is a form of acceptable communication."

He glowered at his son. "I was about to explain something you'd have found beneficial to know, but I'd be wasting my breath if I bothered to explain it to you."

Shannon shrugged. "What's there to explain anyway?"

"You demanded to know why I have two names. Simply – I faked my death and took on a new one." Karl replied shortly and cleared his throat. "The long story…

"My real name is Kieran Tracy; I was born to Séamus and Treasa Tracey. I had…err; rather _have_ two sisters, Síle and Líle. My father was killed when I was three and my mother remarried a man by the name of Brennan O'Kelly, who fathered my younger half brother, Padráig."

"But…how? What the fuck?"

"You wanted to know."

"I wanted to know and not be more confused!" he snarled then muttered, "asshole."

Karl chose to ignore the snide under the breath remark. Responding would only give the boy the dignity of receiving a response to his jabbing comment.

Instead, he went on. "You don't need to know what happened for most of my life. It's just...boring until I got accepted into a foreign university. There was a girl; a nasty little bitch. She had a harem that'd rival the Kutou-koku monarch's personal stash. She always got her way and the guys knew; well, most, the ones who fell for her charm. Those who weren't under her hypnotising gaze were vulnerable…

"I was no different. Hell, I was weak; she was a sexy little thing…but dangerous. She got jealous if you tried to break up even though she knew she wasn't monogamous. She drove one guy to kill himself, another had a mental breakdown and she murdered one.

"I knew it was my fate… I escaped, but I did so clumsily.

"I escaped her by waking up in a ditch hung-over."

Karl didn't appear pleased about this confession, though there was a muffled chortled coming suspiciously from Shannon. A quick nasty sideways glance did nothing.

Huffing, he continued. "I decided to remove all traces of myself and blew up my motorcycling, leaving me no other option than to seek a fake birth certificate and passport… from Colonel Thomas Anderson. He holds my fate in limbo…."

"Why him?" scepticism and intrigue underlay the nonchalant query.

"Because that man can get his way no matter what and will stop at nothing to obtain the power he desires. All he has to do is serve Tenkou. He lured in the others with shallow promises of glory and victory. They've all suffered the fate of death before these promises would be fulfilled.

"I was never given such things; I was roped in by a nasty deal that saw me facing that bitch or being killed by Tenkou for betraying the 'cause'…" he snorted derisively. "They can't kill me anyway…"

"Wait…. Back up. Who the hell is this woman?" Shannon didn't want to know more, but his inquisitive side got the better of his stoicism. "And why would you go to such great lengths?"

"Because Aleit went through great lengths to try and hurt me and Heidi…."

"But…but… What the hell… Who the hell are those women anyways and why the hell did you get involved with such fucking psychopaths?"

"I'm a man; I'm weak around a sexy woman. Besides, Aleit knew she would keep men wrapped around her baby finger…"

Shannon blinked, apathetic. "That is the most pathetic tripe I've ever heard…" he blinked again and cocked a curious eyebrow. "Aleit… as in Aleit Vandenberg? The same one?"

Snorting, Karl snidely sneered, "Well… unless you know other ones…"

Glowering, his sternly and with utmost indignation accompanied by a grunt of dissatisfaction, he fell back against his pillow, choosing to ignore his father. 'Asshole…'

Continuing despite the quiet, "Well… I'm going to take that to be a yes…

"So, she didn't like the idea of me being 'not' dead and dating her twin sister… who…" he shuddered, groaning, "is ultra conservative….' He sighed, downtrodden, "and refuses to have sex with me despite being married for over… twenty-three years…" he stressed the long period of time with a hint of irritation to his tone.

Yui shook her head; this is why despite that she believed in a god, she still didn't like religion – it just made people do the weirdest of things.

"And it means that anything you know is not true any more."

"Then… who's my mother if she is married to you?"

"That doesn't make any sense."

"I mean… did you actually marry my mother before you had us or… and why did you let the woman kidnap us? Why… and why… why didn't you ever tell me before I turned twelve that you were my real father? Why did you wait until I hated you?" Shannon whispered, his gaze cast down, his bang shielding the hurt that glimmered in his eyes.

Karl sighed morosely. "I… I'm sorry, Shannon. I… I just…it's just that I made a promise to Aine. I couldn't break it; I still loved her even though she married my half brother. I couldn't break my promise… I know she thought it would be better if you didn't wonder why you were adopted."

"I WANT TO KNOW! You and…whoever my mother is… if it's Aleit… or… Heidi; just hell me, damnit! Tell me why the hell I was separated from my brother!" he growled, feeling hurt; experiencing the horrid feeling of abandoned confusion, his mind swirling with the questions he never got answered when he was younger.

Karl sighed. He had wanted to answer these before. He had tried to do what he thought was best. He had opted not to speak out and it cost him dearly and he wasn't going to stop paying for it until he had nothing left.

He placed he hand son his temples. You mother is my wife, Heidi Schwartz. It was her sister Aleit who took you and your brother and sister. She just gave you and your brother to a random couple, and kept Anke-Meike to herself…"

He inhaled deeply again. "I was stuck not being able to tell Heidi I found you right away. Then I'd have to explain to her…too much, too much of a past that would wreck our relationship. You see, she ignored me as Kieran Tracey and only dated me as someone I truly wasn't.

"I married her as Karl Schwartz, son of a widowed woman who died of loneliness, no known family, and perfect Catholic boy. The last part is the only thing that is true. I left all of my past behind including my brother who begrudged me and used you as a pawn to hurt me when he found out who you truly were…

"You… being the son of a man who betrayed his family by faking his death. A sin which has weighed heavily on my soul until today. I've never told anyone and now, I've got to face it if I want to face you…"

Shannon kept silent. He never thought of it like this. For that matter, he never considered that his father might actually have had a reason for his actions. His first and prime instinct was to assume that the man was an asshole. That and he had suffered a slight memory loss when he had blacked out at eleven years old; selectively locking out segments of his memory after the dull aching pain from the traumatising attacks…

He closed his eyes. "So… you never had anything to do with it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Patrick always maintained it was you who set it up to happen to me. He told me that my real father hated me because… because… I wasn't natural." He whispered.

Karl's eyes narrowed into thin slits. "I never thought he'd have done something like that. If I had the slightest conviction that my brother would take his hatred of me out on you, I'd have challenged him for custody. Any controversial legal battles would've been damaging to his career…"

"Why didn't you?" Shannon asked, gazing over.

"Well… I thought he was bluffing. I didn't actually think he was serious. You never said a thing and when you did, it was only typical teenage gripes, as far as I could tell."

Shannon sighed. "I… I tried to…"

"You were never good at expressing yourself; even as a kid." Karl replied, pausing for a brief moment before continuing. "I suspect it's a trust issue."

"You're a tax collector, not a psychiatrist. Don't start telling me about my 'mental issues'…"

Karl glared at his son. "I'm a Senior Accountant Manager in the internal revenue agency."

Shannon shrugged coolly. "Whatever… same difference."

Yui sighed, sinking into her chair. This conversation was taking one step forward and two back. Just when it seemed to have a purpose, it quickly geared towards the edge of utter nonsense. She didn't understand why they bothered to even speak in English, since it wasn't helping her at all.

She turned her gaze between the two; her eyelids sullenly riding at a level that displayed her disenchantment with the situation.

Her eyes shot open; a small but audible gasp slipping over her lips.

In slow motion (or so her vision betrayed her to believe), Shannon's right hand moved to his left forearm and tore the IV that was inserted into his arm out without even flinching at the sensation of the medical tape tearing off a thin layer of skin.

Sighing in relief, Shannon dropped the IV to the ground. "Much better… now… get me the hell out of here and I don't care what the fuck the quacks say about it…"

"Still don't care for hospitals, do you?" Karl remarked snidely, as he stood up. "While they won't be willingly to release you early, I could ask…"

"ASK? ASK?! Do you think the fucking Brits asked before they took Eire?"

"Good point…"

Yui sighed, exhaling sharply. "That is the lamest argument ever and not to mention it is entirely irrelevant."

"It's a perfectly valid argument." Karl retorted coolly.

Yui blinked coldly. "There are too many flaws in your logic to know where to begin."

"Then don't and save yourself the trouble."

Crossing her arms, she snorted derisively. She opened her mouth to make a retort, but resolutely shut her mouth and pushed past him, leaving the room. She could've asserted her stance if she felt a stronger desire, but she knew she was going against the tide of obstinacy and there was no winning.

Swinging his legs over the rail, Shannon landed on the floor gracefully, and gazed down in disgust, immediately stripping off the hospital gown, and thrusting it to the floor in utter disgust. He shuddered; the fabric didn't feel nice against his skin. It was like soaking in a vat of hot boiling acid.

Coyly tossing a bag over at his son, Karl turned away. "Everything but your shirt is in there. I'm lending you one of mine since the girl didn't know if you had a spare."

Grunting monosyllabically, Shannon removed his pants from the bag and sniffed them. "Fuck… why didn't anyone actually check my motorcycle saddle bags?! This is fucking disgusting…"

"Well, we didn't know, and you're already without a shower. I could…but I won't start on how you reek. It's quite the fowl stench you've got. What do you call it?" Karl snidely commented. He mockingly sniffed the air. "Ah yes… _Eau de Mouffette_ …"

Reluctantly dressing in what was immediately available to him; Shannon cast a disdainful gaze over his shoulder. "You're such a fucking asshole."

"Hmn… well, as long as you've passed the point at which you still have a lust for blood, I'd say we've made good progress."

"Fine, I'll concede. I don't want your head on a platter any more."

Karl grinned. "You've matured a bit, haven't you?"

"Hn…"

"And, you still haven't grown out of grunting. Your mother isn't going to like that at all."

Shannon shrugged reticently. "This is me… _not_ caring."

"Well, I think you should. I made a promise to Heidi and if you refuse to go along, then…" Karl remarked his tone self-pitying, as he gazed away. He sighed, and sat in a chair, resting his chin on his hands. "Well, I guess I'll just be able to tell her that her eldest hates her and that he won't help by telling where his brother and sister are… oh, how broken hearted she'll be…."

Shannon's eye twitched. This was one hell of an Oscar winning performance. He didn't say anything and instead methodically clapped mockingly. Each one was slow and deliberate.

Karl gazed over, peeking through the corner of his eye. "You're not buying this, are you?"

"Exactly…"

Fishing his keys out of his pocket, he spun the key ring around his finger. "I'm going to take my bike back to Tokyo…"

Sceptically Karl pulled out his rental keys. "Are you sure you want to? I have a renter… and I need to get there anyway…"

"Then Yui can help you by reading the signs for you."

Snorting dismissively, he retorted, "that girl? That girl is the most disagreeable little twat I've ever met."

"Then it should make the drive… interesting." Shannon smirked.

Karl glared at his son; his blue eyes clouded over with resentment. "You're lucky I give a damn about your arse, otherwise you'd be a dead wanker now!"

"I thought you cared about me…" Shannon replied with cordial sweetness, though there was a touch of a malicious sneer to his tone.

"Not to the extent that I'd share a car with her. Just write down the bloody directions and I'll find it myself. I'm not sharing the car with her. She's… ugh… I don't know. How the hell do you put up with her impertinence? It's tiresome."

Shannon shrugged evasively. "Meh…"

"Meh? MEH??" Karl scathingly seethed, bristling indignantly. "That isn't an answer!

"Further, you're going to write those directions down for me."

Shaking his head defiantly, Shannon headed for the door. "No… I'd much rather see you suffer a little. It might help change my opinion about you a little… plus it won't hurt your case to stop insulting the woman I love."

"Look here, boy, I didn't insult her! I was calling it as I see it."

"Then better call your lawyer because the Crown Prosecution is going to need one after they find your rotting corpse in the Belfast Lough!"

"You're threatening me to my face? Well, it's certainly a step up from your usual cowardice, Shannon."

The two glowered at each other for a minute and Karl sighed, relenting. "I don't want to fight you… but you're being… rather obstinate. You know I never tried to hurt you. I was on your side… Of course, until you actually realise this…"

"You're an underhanded manipulative bastard! That's the trick you always use when you're on the losing end." Shannon scathingly exclaimed, folding his arms tightly over his chest.

Karl shrugged and sighed, upping his hurt expression. He touched a hand to his face and rested the other over his chest, as he rested his elbow on it. "I… well… it's just… oh forget it; you'd not understand, boy; it's a parent thing. I mean… knowing your kid's been taken away and your brother uses blood to hold you hostage and you can't do jack about it because the old woman's going to fry your ass…"

Shannon's eyes narrowed. He really hated this. He had an unequivocal instinctual feeling that he was being played for a patsy if he went along with this. Yet, somehow he questioned his instinct because there was a certain level of genuine sincerity to the man's voice.

'Either he's well rehearsed or he's serious…'

Touching a finger to the corner of his eye, Karl added, "but, what do you care? You don't trust me and no matter how many times I get on my knees and plead with you… you… oh well… forget it. Whatever I say won't change a thing. It hasn't yet… and all I've been doing is trying to look out for you while executing a delicate balancing act…"

Growling softly, his eyes rolling back in his head, Shannon touched his fingers to his temples. "Ok… can you give up the act? I get the point; you're trying to get something, and this is how you get your way… fuck… this is annoying!"

Slumping, Karl's lower lip quivered slightly. "Oh… I see…." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I… do what you want. I've got to get to Tokyo anyway. The rest of the family's coming in… Heidi insisted on it since she had time off and she thinks it'll be good for Ralf and Eva to see the world. She thinks they're too xenophobic."

"Oh no… a German? Xenophobic? Perish the thought…" Shannon sneered sarcastically, with a mocking way of the hand.

"They're not all Nazis… even though my wife's parents are…"

Shrugging, Shannon went over and picked up his keys. "Look… do what you're going to."

"Wait… I can't possibly read these signs! I really need written directions or someone who can help me." Karl reached out, grabbing his son's wrist. "I'm asking you… man to man, for help. I can barely speak the bloody language and my translator is a twit."

"Then take the train to Tokyo."

"Public transit it for the proletariat; the bourgeois oughtn't to deal with the poor man's contaminated underground sewer way."

Shannon blinked and left the room.

"Goddamnit – don't walk out of here when I'm talking to you!"

"I'll do what…"

Grabbing his son by the shoulder, he pulled him back. "I'm only asking you once more…"

"The answer is: if you want help, Yui'll have help."

Tapping Shannon the shoulder, Yui aggressively cleared her throat. "What's this about me helping him?"

"Good, you're here. You're going with him to Tokyo. I'm taking my bike. See you there." Shannon bolted before either of them could sufficiently reply.

The two glared at each other.

Yui snorted derisively. "I supposed I'll have to read the signs for you."

"Gee, I guess it means you'll have to put your education to good use and see if it actually serves a purpose besides purely academic." Karl snidely chuckled.

Yui scowled indignantly. "Is that a racist comment?"

"No, I'm merely poking fun at your zealous desire for the pursuit of a higher education at the expense of one's economic advancement," Karl remarked coolly. "After all, there comes a point when academic achievements merit only so much in the face of real world experience."

"That makes no sense. And what does that have to do with me being able to read signs?"

Karl shrugged and removed his rental car keys from his left rear pocket.

_3 Days Earlier…_

The French Embassy in Tokyo was easy enough to find, that was due to the fact that she had received adequate guidance over there. Her brother (or rather, the one who hadn't fled town), had helped her find it.

But, because she was involved in a process heavily guarded by bureaucratic red tape and the like, he had high-tailed it out of there, and she then later found herself stranded, without a pocket translator dictionary or any means by which to communicate with the local folks.

'Dandy… just dandy…' she thought, as he glared at her watch then back at the embassy. The place had JUST closed and she was left without a means of finding her way back.

It wasn't like she didn't have bigger problems, like that nagging case of heart burn, though she felt like she had been bleeding out both ends, though felt no blood.

She didn't have an explanation for it.

All she knew was that both her brothers were assholes because she didn't have the knowledge or the means by which to get back to the apartment studio.

Slumping in a bench at the bus stop, she stared dead ahead, her sights transfixed on absolutely nothing. The signs were all but meaningless to her Japanese impaired mind. She was fine if it was French or English… or even something in a related language. At least then it'd be written in Latin alphabet characters.

She turned neither her eyes nor her ears up as two young men walked by the bench.

She didn't notice that the pair, on their way to a parked car had stopped and were regarding her quizzically for a moment before the light browned haired one, in halted English asked, "are you O'Kelly sister?"

She arched an eyebrow. Assuming the guy meant Shannon she shrugged. "If by O'Kelly you mean Shannon O'Kelly, then yes, I'm his sister. Why do you care?"

"Just asking. You… look lost." The young man replied.

Meike shrugged evasively. "If you didn't speak the language of the country, then yes, one would be very lost. Thank you for your curt observation Captain Obvious." She huffed.

His friend snickered and remarked on the situation, though not in a language of Meike's understanding. She glowered at him.

The young man with the sun glasses regarded her and peered over the top. His English was slightly better than his friend's; though it was evident he struggled with it. "Do you need help getting home?"

"How would you know where I'm staying?" she demanded.

"Well… we know where your brothers live and it makes sense that you stay with them, no?"

"Well, if that's your assumption, then I guess you'd be right. Though, where I come from, it's a common courtesy to introduce yourself…"

"Well… I'm Kajiwara Tetsuya and this is my friend, Yuuki Keisuke."

She blinked dumbly at him.

"Uh… last name, first name…"

"Ah…" she nodded. "I'm Meike Vandenberg, though I'm sure you know that already since you know my brothers."

Tetsuya and Keisuke briefly conversed amongst themselves before Keisuke excused himself, leaving Tetsuya to explain, "It looks like my friend has other engagements. Perhaps you'd like a ride home?"

Meike regarded him coldly.

He held up his hands defensively. "I have no intention of trying anything. Your brothers scare the shit out of me and I already had several close calls with Shannon…"

Meike shrugged. "He's hot headed, so, it must've been irrelevant since he has a temper with just about anything that crosses him in even the slightest way." She remarked, as she stood up, picking up the bag that sat beside her on the bench. She slung it over her shoulder.

Tetsuya pointed in the direction of his car, watching Meike pass in front of him.

Aside that she was clearly related to the twins, he couldn't help but to let his eyes caress her gentle form. It was such a shame that she hid herself beneath such masculine attire. He knew that he had to be good, even if she didn't make it seem important.

'Heh… I could make it with a German girl…they say European women are a finer breed…' he thought, as his eyes remained glued to her posterior. Throughout the duration of his extended scrutiny, he was able to maintain a certain level of dignity as they approached the car, never letting on that he had been checking out her finer aspects.

The car ride proved to be smooth; he managed to learn a little of her…

And upon arriving in the apartment, he found ample opportunity to make subtle passes at her, though he assumed they went ignored since she didn't really respond to them.

But the kiss… that was something else…

Her lips were so sweet tasting and her response… it was most welcomed, especially since there was no immediate sign of rejection…


	34. Chapter 34

**Changing Winds**

_Every memory of looking out the back door  
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor  
It's hard to say it, time to say it  
Goodbye, goodbye  
Every memory of walking out the front door  
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for  
It's hard to say it, time to say it  
Goodbye, goodbye_

(_Photograph_, All the Right Reasons, Nickelback)

The cat meowed and pawed pointedly at Keisuke. It then planted its claws into Keisuke's pants and climbed up ignoring the yelps of pain.

Shannon would have said something but was much too busy muttering obscenities about the cat under his breath, while casting evil glances at the animal. "Damn cat is my father and he was there when I… fuck! Hopefully he won't say anything. Damnit… now I can't hide it. Shit… Fucking cat is going to blow the whole deal… and miming is not communication… freak!"

Tetsuya gazed puzzled between the two. "Uh…"

"Get this cat off me!" Keisuke tried to take off his shoulder. "This cat won't get off me!"

Tetsuya peered over at Shannon. "You seem to recognize the cat…"

"That cat, that goddamn fucking cat! I hate that cat!" Shannon exclaimed. "And no… cat! You can't do kung-fu no matter how much you want to try! And you did a lousy job of fighting Tomo!" He screamed scathingly at it.

The cat, a white cat with light brown patched on it, smiled. It raised a paw and let out an enthusiastic meow. It then mimicked Kung-fu moved, while perched on Keisuke's shoulder.

Shannon glowered at it. "I hate you, you know that, cat?"

The cat winked at him.

Growling, he smacked it. "And don't say it; I already paid my penance for what I did there!"

The cat fell to the ground and meowed plaintively.

Keisuke and Tetsuya's ears perked up curiously. One moved up on the left and the other on the right of Shannon. "Tell us…" Keisuke began.

"You know something we don't? Who is this cat?" Tetsuya purred sweetly.

"This is the damn Suzaku cat."

"The Suzaku… oh! Tama-neko!" Keisuke exclaimed, a light bulb going off in his head. "This is the cat that Miaka spoke about! Mitsukake's cat."

The cat turned back into its human form; it turned back into Karl. "Yes. Very true. I did tag along with the Suzaku Seishi. They are… an amusing bunch. They were far more amusing and entertaining to be around than the Byakko Seishi. They were a dour lot. Tatara was damn moony…

"Subaru, however… rowr…" he added, lecherously purring at the thought. "If she had paid attention to me, it'd have been better, but she took to the skirt chaser."

He paused. "Of course… you know, Tokaki is an asshole and he got her because all decent women dig assholes. I should know… my wife married me even though I lied about my past…"

"And the fact that you're still in the IRA…"

"No I'm not, boy! I merely provide charitable donations…" Karl replied curtly, correcting Shannon, coughing at the end.

His son rolled his eyes, muttering something incoherent (yet again) under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing!" came the innocent reply. He drew a halo over his head.

Karl snorted derisively. "You ain't no angel, boy."

Keisuke took the book out of his jacket. "You're his father?" he asked Karl.

"Yes, why?"

"That means you're also Jonathan and Meike's father, right?"

Karl nodded, ignoring the leather bound book in Keisuke's hand.

Placing the book in Karl's hands, Keisuke gazed down. "Sir… since you're a Seishi, I think you'll understand what I'm about to say. Your daughter…. She's the priestess. She's Nyosei no Miko…"

"Meike…? She's the new priestess?" Karl replied sceptically, taking the book and opening it to read it left to right. He blinked stupidly and handed it back to Keisuke.

"I have no use for it… It's in Chinese…"

"And you tried to read it backwards…"

"Really? Who'd've thunk it…… and like I said, I don't read Chinese…"

"Do you speak Japanese?"

Karl cast a very pointed gaze at Keisuke. "What rock did you just crawl out from under, kid? Don't you think that if I did speak your damn language, I'd have spoken to you in it?"

"Uh…"

"Brilliant reply, Yuuki." Shannon snidely quipped in Japanese.

Tetsuya shook his head.

"Uh… I… uh… I…"

"Speak up, kid. What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"Eh?" Keisuke made an odd face, as Karl vanished into thin air, subsequently reappearing on Keisuke's shoulder a few second later, after buzzing around the young man's head as a bug, in the form of a cat. It then reached over and with its paws pried open Keisuke's mouth and grabbed the tongue.

Wailing, he tried to shake the cat off, managing successfully to expel the creature, which gracefully landed on the ground and changed back into its original form.

Shannon's expression remained sombre for a moment before he smirked and challenged Karl by remarking, "So, you can turn into a cat. While that's fine and all, why not turn into… him." He suggested pointing at Keisuke. He didn't issue his challenge in English.

Karl paused for a moment; then nodded. "Very well then, boy."

The other two didn't like the sound of the conservation.

They made haste and quickly got away.

Karl shrugged. "I'll do it later…"

Shannon snorted derisively. "That's just your way of saying you can't…"

"I don't feel like arguing with you, boy." Karl brushed it off with a wave of the hand.

His eyes turned to the side, catching the time projected on his watch. "Damnit… I was supposed to meet her today. I told her my meeting was done yesterday and that I was travelling overnight…"

"Her?"

"Don't be stupid boy. Your mother."

Shannon snorted dismissively. "Well… how the fuck was I supposed to know?"

"If you hadn't interrupted me, you'd have known."

The two squared off, glaring menacingly at each other, before backing down.

Shannon pushed loose hanging bangs out of his face and left the area, heading into the building.

Karl glared steadily at the boy's back. "Where are you going?"

"To check on my brother." Came the curt, biting reply.

Karl said nothing and nodded. He pivoted, intending to walk away, but paused. "Shannon?"

"What?"

"If he's ok, mind checking him out of the hospital and meeting me later at the Hilton?"

"Uh…"

"Don't ask questions, just follow orders, boy."

"But…"

"I have to go, just do it please."

Shannon scowled at Karl's back, and muttering obscenities under his breath, stormed in and sulked as he plodded down the hall toward the elevator. 'Why the hell do I have to do everything he says?'…

He continued to mutter colourfully under his breath until he got to the door, which was open.

"Damnit, you took long enough!"

"I see your mouth is in good working order still…" Shannon drawled sarcastically, as he walked, taking a seat next to his twin.

Jonathan folded his arms as he sat up. "I'm hurt… you were outside and you took too long to come up to see me. You don't love me!"

Groaning, he sank into his chair. "You're complaining because I took my time? I have problems of my own, brother. Fuck… I've got Kieran fighting with Yui because she gave him wrong directions, Taka accusing us of turning on the group and Tetsuya and Keisuke in custody of the book after Meike was chosen as the next priestess, and they expect my help…"

"Uh-huh… that's still no reason why you couldn't come see me first…" Jonathan sulked, pouting. He then peered out the corner of his eye. "And who's Kieran and why is Yui fighting with him?"

"Kieran is our father…." Shannon began, before elaborating a little on the situation. "From what I know, they're fighting because Yui didn't give him good directions and he all but called her stupid and said her education has no practicality in the real world."

"And you're taking her side…?"

"Hell no. Not after she refused to let up on the fucking questions."

"Questions? What questions…?" Jonathan asked puzzled, studying his brother's expression, before it dawned on him. "Oh... _oh_…" He laughed uneasily. "_THOSE_ questions…"

"See… this is why she wouldn't understand. You know what I mean."

"Shannon, you're not exactly forthcoming with information."

He folded his arms and grunted indignantly. "I still didn't want to answer… she wouldn't understand!"

Jonathan's expression softened, and reached out, touching his brother's hand. "It's ok…"

"But Yui doesn't get that." Shannon hissed scathingly, feeling deeply hurt by the thought. "And to make it worse, she tried to convince Kieran to tell her. At least he has the decency to not say a thing."

"Kieran…?" Jonathan asked, trailing off. The name sounded familiar. "Kieran… is that the man who is your benefactor and supervisor who gave you some of your hit tasks?"

"Yes and helped me learn to control my chi."

Jonathan nodded, then blinked, confused. "Wait… if he's from Ireland, how does he know Yui?"

"He was here for a work-related meeting. He's an accountant with some stupid internal revenue agency in Germany."

"He's… WHAT??" Jonathan exclaimed incredulously. "Wait… whoa, whoa, wait one minute. I thought he was from Ireland, now he's German??"

"He's not German, he's Irish, but, has a German wife and five children, who are Irish-German. He has IRA ties… and…" Shannon explained quickly, taking a short breath. "He's our father…"

Rubbing his temple, he groaned. "Ok… are you shitting me or are you actually telling me the damn truth?" He exhaled a breath of air between clenched teeth.

"Why the fuck would I make this up, wanker?"

"Don't call me a wanker, cracker!"

"What the fuck? I'm not fucking…"

"Both of you watch your goddamn language. Your mother would strip your backsides if she heard such obscenities." A man with a thick Irish accent remarked, walking into the room, over to where Shannon sat, and smacked him on the back of the head. "You in particular need to watch your damn language, boy."

"What the fuck did you do that for, old man?" Shannon growled, reaching over to retaliate.

"You needed it, boy." Karl replied curtly. He gazed around. "And are you going to be a good boy and give me your damn seat?"

"Fuck off, no goddamn way."

Reaching over, Karl grabbed a handful of Shannon's hair, primarily the pony tail. "Move it, boy."

"Fuck… leave the hair, alone, old man." Shannon leaved forward, blinking, as the Ryuuseisui appeared behind him, cutting off the pony tail.

Jonathan sat, frozen. He had no idea what was happening. He just watched, fascinated. He had never met anyone so… peculiar. It seemed that Shannon knew interesting people.

Of course, it could be that his interest was perked by the fact that he felt the slightest peak of a chi from the man.

"Watch it, boy! You damn near took my hand off."

Jonathan murmured to himself, musing as he wondered why the fellow didn't seemed fazed by the sudden instance of telekinesis.

"So…? It's your fault for being an asshole, wanker."

"I believe that the fifth commandment says, 'honour thy father and thy mother', does it not, boy?"

Shannon sat tight-lipped, refusing to acknowledge the question with a reply.

"I see you agree with me, smart boy. Now, I guess you'll be heading off to confession, unless it isn't part of your religion… my young Protestant son."

Shannon's face turned an indignant shade of red crimson. "I AIN'T NO GODDAMN PROTESTANT!" He turned, standing up, drawing a glock. He aimed it between Karl's eyes. "Take that back before I blow your fucking head off!"

"So, you will be going to confession, since you've violated one of the sacred commandments?" Karl asked calmly, as though there was no gun pointed dead square at his face.

'This guy has absolute nerves of steel!' Jonathan thought incredulously, as he watched the events unfold. 'He seems to know something the rest of us don't. He seems to think Shannon won't blow his head apart…'

There was a tense minute, in which the two stared nastily at each other, before Shannon lowered the gun.

Balking, Jonathan gasped, his eyes wide. 'What the…? Shannon voluntarily lowered his gun? He didn't say any? He just lowered it? Who is this guy? It's our father? But… my brother hates his guts… why would he lower his gun and not plug him?'

Placing the gun in his shoulder holster, Shannon backed down, and moved away. "Excuse me…"

He left the room.

Once the tension subsided, Jonathan gracefully swung his legs over the side of the bed, so he was sitting facing Karl. "You've got nerves of steel, sir."

"You need them to deal with him, Jonathan."

"How do you know my name?"

"Your brother speaks highly of you. Even before you two were properly reunited."

"Uh… why didn't you flinch? Doesn't it bother you that your kid pointed a gun at you?"

"It does, but, I don't let it show. I've had to learn to deal with it. I'm being patient because Shannon needs it. He says he hates me, and acts like it, but, I think he's scared because he trusted me for so long, and then felt like I suddenly turned on him. He's just come around recently, so, I don't want to push it. I want him to trust me when he's ready. I think he does, he just doesn't want to let his guard down."

"Turned on you? You mean he didn't always hate you?'

"Not at all; only after he turned eleven and returned to Belfast did he start to hate me as much as he does? I suspect that either my half-brother had a hand in or…"

"Or..?"

"Or… I think he was slipped _Kodoku_."

"How do..?"

"Do I know? I'm far older than you, Amiboshi. I'm Byakko Seishi Amefuri.

"_Kodoku_ is an herbal drug; much like _Bohkyaku, was_ developed a group of travelling monks who brought herbs from Konan and gave sold it, along with the recipe."

"How would it come here then?"

"Tenkou would've facilitated the passage of the substance here.

"I'm forced to serve him, though I don't wish to, and since I refused to allow him to be drawn to the dark side, I think it was used against him for that reason."

Jonathan sat silently. This was the first time he had spoken with anyone who knew his brother when he was younger. He gazed away for a moment.

Chuckling uneasily, Karl smiled, "Enough of the depressing tripe… tell me, how did you wind up incapacitated?"

"I… uh… This is going to sound stupid, but, some moron using ice attacked me and at the same time, I spontaneously started to bleed from my chest…" Jonathan explained meekly. "I… was conscious when they brought me here… when was that? A couple of hours ago? I think they might've used anaesthetic to knock me out… I mean, it must've been a good dosage 'cause it doesn't hurt now…"

"So, you don't think it was longer than that?"

"Huh?"

"Your brother was unconscious for three days."

"Three days? When the hell..? Uh…?" Jonathan stammered, unable to process the new data, before a light went off in his head. "If… uh… oh. I guess that means it was three for me as well…"

He blinked. "Wait a minute… if he was what happened to him?"

"I initially ambushed by one of Tenkou's loyal and bound followers, who had a crude IED. He had intended to plant it where my room was, but, I had left before he could and he chased me out, eventually catching up with me when I encountered Shannon, who decided to be a little cocky and pull out two guns, one pointed at me, the other at Dallas."

"I've never seen nothing short of a barrage of bullets take him down…"

"It wasn't bullets. It was his own weapon…. And Dallas' little wall of ice."

They left the hospital area, not wanting to stay around, with the perceived betrayer.

Miaka was with the group, but, quickly broke away from the group that included, Michiko, Taka and Yui, citing homework reasons. Her house was also close by and she didn't want to join them at the karaoke bar they wanted to go to.

She kissed Taka and waved goodbye to the others, as she ran off.

Yui turned to the others, perplexed. Miaka never turned down a chance to go out with her friends. She'd never seen her best friend so serious about school.

"Maybe she wants to impress her tutor…" Michiko suggested offhandedly unaware of the true identity of Miaka's English tutor.

Yui snorted derisively. "Hardly…"

"Those Germans are hard-asses." Taka replied.

Yui smirked. "Not all are hard-asses, just Shannon and his father."

"But, he's Irish and hates his dad…"

"Well, he's proven to be unpredictable."

"No kidding. First he's on our side, then he switches and goes Nazi turncoat on us."

"And it doesn't surprise me. Our observations have shown that he was selected because he's able to blend in with any crowd. He's the kind of man that the CIA frowns upon for highly classified operations. His notoriety comes from being able to be a turncoat. He isn't to be trusted and the CIA refused to work with his crew…

"But… that aside…." An American soldier, dressed as a secret agent emerged from the shadows. "I think I have something you may be interested in and you may be able to help me with something."

He smirked. "I scratch your back, you scratch mine."

"What do you want?" Taka asked sceptically.

"I want to take this chance to make a deal with you.

"You see, I can't stand O'Kelly, he's a thorn in my side and prevents anything from happening unless you play by his… fucked up rules. No one has been able to dispose of him, and if we can, it means that something can finally be accomplished."

The man turned to Yui. "You say to love him, I can see it in your eyes, but, can he love you? He can say it, but he probably really doesn't. You're just convenient for him. He has no real use for you. He only has his primary objectives; his one sight. He sees nothing beyond it. He only sees what he needs to accomplish it.

"You don't like being used, do you? No one does…" the man wrapped an arm around Yui's shoulders.

She tried to push him away.

"Ah, wait there… don't be so quick to doubt me. He actually done anything for you selflessly? Or… as everything been because of some unseen motive?

"Ah yes… it has. Don't defend him; you'll only come up with pitiful excuse…" The man replied assuredly, though there was something wicked about the glint in his eye; something inherently malicious.

"You don't know him and whatever so-called 'intelligence' you may have will be flawed." Yui declared, pulling away.

The man stepped in front of her. "Priestess, why would I lie? I stand to gain nothing from lying to you. The truth holds the real power. Your friends were onto something when they decided against trusting O'Kelly and that bloody father of his. They were right to be sceptical. After all, Schwartz is wanted by the cult and O'Kelly has turned on both groups. He has used both to serve his own purposes…"

He glanced sideways. "And you, Priestess. Tell me, do you feel love in his touch? Do you see passion in his eyes? Does his own resonate with gentleness?"

Yui opened her mouth to protest, but came up short.

She felt the hands of Suboshi grabbing her wrist as she ran recklessly; the grasp was gentle.

Suboshi's eyes didn't pierce her soul; she could never truly bring herself to look Shannon in the eye. His gaze set her on fire; she felt like she was under the hot lamp of intense interrogation.

"Now, don't answer right now, Priestess. Why don't you think about it over a drink? I would like to talk to you and your friends more." The man replied, as he gestured over to a teahouse, bursting with activity.

While Taka and Yui agreed, Michiko shook her head. She didn't know why, but, she felt that it was ill-advised to go ahead with the plan.

"Uh… I'll be passing… I have to do my nails and finish my homework…" she knew it was a flimsy excuse, but, still she said it anyway, her gazed meeting the man's.

He stared back at her, his eyes twinkling nastily. "Very well. Go on your own way…"

As she walked past, he whispered, "But, watch your step… one wrong move and you're history…"

She didn't want to whip out the lightening here; too many witnesses….


	35. Chapter 35

The Fifth Chapter

**The Fifth Chapter**

_I stand atop a spiral stair  
An oracle confronts me there  
He leads me on light years away  
Through astral nights, galactic days  
I see the works of gifted hands  
That grace this strange and wondrous land  
I see the hand of man arise  
With hungry mind and open eyes_

(_Oracle: The Dream_, 2112, Rush)

The kiss had been electrical; the chemistry was strong.

She didn't bother to give in to her hesitations, nor her inhibitions.

She let him touch her; caress. She longed for the gentle touch she had been deprived of. Her ex-boyfriend had never been so gentle with her,

Her mind gave way to fleeting thoughts of fancy, as she lost herself in the arms of a near stranger.

There was something exciting about being in the arms of a man who her brothers both equally hated. She didn't understand her choice, but she gathered from the previous mental link ups that neither cared for this young man.

She hadn't heard their reasons, nevertheless, had, she, she'd have likely dismissed it. She didn't hold either to be accountable when it comes to dealing with other guys. They both appeared as the types to jump in with their weapons, ready to kill any man who gazed at her… even approvingly.

Stretching, Meike left the room.

It was late morning, and the other spot in the bed had since been vacated.

Rubbing her eyes, to rid her vision of its sleepy blurriness, she strolled into the living room, yawning as she greeted the young man she had brought home last night, or rather, who had volunteered to give her a ride.

"Mornin'…" she remarked, her greeting stifled slightly by a jittering yawn.

He nodded. "Morning…" he replied. He pointed to the kitchen. "I made some coffee… though it was a chore trying to find it…"

"Thanks…" she murmured, as she ran her fingers through her messy hair.

Sitting back, while Meike went to get herself a cup of coffee, Tetsuya's eyes travelled to the underside of the coffee table in front of him. He blinked, peering closely. He thought for a moment that his vision was deceiving him, but upon closer inspection he realised that he wasn't so wrong after all.

Placing the cup down, he picked up the book. 'But… why? Why did he take the book from the history room?' he pondered, as he recalled the day, before he ever actually dealt with Shannon face to face, that the book was removed from the room.

He flipped through it. It hadn't been tampered with, so why was it here? And what could've possibly been the motive for removal? Tetsuya pondered, as he put Shijin Tenchisho back on the table.

He recalled overhearing Jonathan mention that they wanted the book, but there was no justification given, and why did it matter, the story was done, wasn't it? And even if Tenkou was out on a bloodlust venture for total world domination, why did it matter where the book was?

"Meike… can you answer something for me?"

"In a minute." Meike replied, as she put her cup down on the table next to his. "I'm going to get dressed first…"

He scowled at her back. Why did she have to bother? He didn't mind that she was dressed scantly; wearing nothing more than her bra and a thong.

Turning back to the book, he casually flipped through it, suddenly becoming alarmed after stumbling upon a new section of it. He paused, reading it carefully.

It was recent! It documented Tenkou's movement and that of the others when they were close to the sources for the Shinzahou…

'And when they went back in… but when they went back in, there was a scroll…' Tetsuya mused sagely, as he read through the new sections.

He gasped, though silently, as he came upon a passage.

_Tenkou laughed softly. "Soon they will fall into our hands…"_

"_My lord, they have fallen like dominos. Soon they will summon Seiryuu and then Nyosei Maijin can emerge…" his closest minion remarked._

"_The war has been kept up and they have fallen into our trap." Another added. This man wasn't a Seishi._

_Tenkou was displeased. "But someone with key knowledge lives still…" He prepared to attack one of the two minions._

"_Wait, my lord." The man urged. "We got two of their strongest allies incapacitated. If you give me time, I can take out the one in Tokyo. I don't know where the other is, and Dallas was dealing with him and Schwartz at last check."_

_Tenkou appeared unimpressed. "Just get something done and force them to summon, without it appearing that we have a need for it. Then… like a house of cards, they'll fall."_

'What the…?' Tetsuya furrowed his brow as he read on. 'This… what is this?'

He reread it, the meaning sinking in. 'That means that we've been trying to summon Seiryuu for them… they know something we don't!'

He put the book down, as Meike walked back into the room.

"Do you know where your brothers are?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea. Shannon left without a work after Jonathan had a snit fit… and he… well, he was _supposed_ to pick me up from the embassy…"

"And?"

"He was no show." She replied, as she involuntarily reached for Shijin Tenchisho.

Before her hand reached it, the book blew open, the pages rapidly flipping, as a strong resonating golden light shot out. She just stared and screaming, shielded her face, but it was futile, as she felt herself get drawn into a wind tunnel spiral…

Tetsuya didn't react in time and watched as the light died down.

'No… that just isn't possible… there is no way that there is a fifth priestess…'

He shook his head and flipped the book up, noticing that the opening portion that once contained the beginning of the Suzaku no Miko's story was blank, now being replaced with that of Meike. He didn't know which god she'd be serving under… or for that matter if she'd take up the post. He remembered her resolutely declaring her atheism.

'So… how are they going to summon their god then?' he thought as he began to read.

_The streets were bustling with life and the people of Kousei, the capital of Aoisora. Aoisora was situated between the southern country of Konan and the northern country of Hokkan. Aoisora was small, but peaceful, free of the assaults launches frequently by the hostile Kutou army._

_In the midst of the crowd, lurked a foreign girl. She was none like any other; her clothes offset her from all the others and her pale appearance gave her away as something of a race of untouchables._

_The people watched her; some murmuring amongst themselves, as they watched the strange girl wander through the streets, barefooted and lost…_

Meike growled softly, as she pulled her shirt closed. She didn't like the way that these people kept gazing at her. Of course, it wasn't to say she wasn't gazing around at a person here and there strangely.

Stopping, she leaned against a wall and pulled a hair scrunch out of her pocket and gathering her sandy brown hair back in her fists, did up a crude bun, ignoring a few strands of hair that fell in her face.

It helped a little; but it didn't help that much since it was a touch warmer here, more than she was used to.

She fanned herself with her hand. 'This sucks… it's fucking hot here and I have no idea where the fuck I am… and all the people are… strange.'

She sighed and sadly thought, 'and I didn't even get a chance to finish my morning coffee yet…" she slumped, pulling her legs into her chest. Her whole day was shot! She couldn't face the day without her morning cup.

She peered up. 'But… they do have tea here… that'd be ok for now…' she thought, as she crept over to the stand, carefully reaching up and snagging the cup. She then made her get away, taking care not to spill the contents of the cup.

Sipping the contents, she exhaled, enjoying the sensation of boiling hot liquid coursing her throat, down into her stomach. An iota of her insatiable desire ebbed away as she sipped the cup, until she went the bottom and ingested the loose tea leaves at the bottom.

Gagging slightly, Meike coughed, making a face at the unsavoury taste of the leave shreds in her mouth, as she took a flying logy at the road side to rid her mouth of the aftermath of her cup of tea.

"Ugh…"

She gazed up as the onomatopoeia indicating disgust came from a young man who crossed her path.

She snorted derisively.

"That's mighty impolite…"

"Yeah, so? I didn't ask you for your fucking opinion, so, do us both a favour and go fly a kite, douche."

"I don't know where you learnt such language, but your mother…"

"Spare me the religious sermon. I don't give a flying fuck about my language, and don't even think of spouting that self-righteous Bible-belt shit at me." Meike declared crushing the clay cup in her bare hand, as she stood up, facing the young man.

He blinked, realising that as she came to her full size, she wasn't so small.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Isn't that convenient… ignorance is always your excuse…." She sneered as she pushed past him, dropping the crushed remains of the cup onto the ground.

The young man arched a thin eyebrow, peering at her quizzically through long pale red bangs. He blinked simply. "I don't know what you're talking off…"

"So it seems education isn't something your type is exposed to."

"I don't know where you get off with this 'your type' stuff, but it's rather annoying…"

"Is it, is it? Tsk… that's a pity, isn't it?"

The young man scowled angrily at her. "I've met better mannered Kutou nationals! And I'd hate to know where you're from…"

"A nice normal place called Canada."

"Ca…na…da?" the young man pronounced each part separate of each other, as he studied her. "I've never heard of such a place. There's only Aoisora, Kutou, Konan, Hokkan and Sairou…"

Meike gazed at him cockeyed. "What the…? Those aren't real countries! Why the hell am I wasting my time talking to you…?"

"I was just wondering the same thing." The redheaded young man remarked, his sharp aqua-green eyes sparkling nastily.

Meike pulled back slightly, not liking the way he was holding himself; the composure reminded her of Shannon when she pissed him off.

She narrowed her eyes. "You're one of those guys with weird powers aren't you?"

The young man gazed at her, shocked. "But… how? How did you figure me out when I could barely detect your chi?"

"I recognise that defensive stance." She remarked flippantly.

"How many Seishi have you encountered?"

"What's a Seishi?"

"But… how? Uh… how can you know that I'm of a certain disposition without knowing what a Seishi is…?"

"Uh… I have no idea." She shrugged. She didn't know why but she had figured out that this boy wasn't a normal kid by any means.

She peered closely at him. "What's your name?"

"My name? Shui, but most people around here know me as Katsui." He replied.

"Good for you, kid." Meike snipped at him. She brushed past him. 'Where the hell am I anyway? He listed off a couple of nations, but I can't remember them now…'

She mentally backtracked her steps. 'Ok, so I picked up that book that Shannon was leaving on the table. The pages were blank then a light came out. And now… I'm not even in Tokyo any more. This is not going well, but at least people seem to speak French here… wait, French?'

She turned to Katsui, "what language are you speaking?"

"Same language as you." He replied. He didn't know what to make of her. She was not by any stretch of the imagination a normal girl. She was too masculine for his liking. She was a guy with a large bosom and a lithe body. Kind of really cute… kind of really sexy.'

She glared at him through narrowed eyes. "That does not answer my question!"

"But… what kind of question is that anyway? You are speaking to me in the same language, so why do you want to know?"

"First of all, that sign is not in my native language, but you're talking to me in it." Meike pointed to a banner that hung over an entrance.

"What? It says it's a teahouse. Of course, I wouldn't expect a girl to be able to read." Katsui said flippantly.


	36. Chapter 36

Far Away

**Far Away**

_This time, This place  
Misused, Mistakes  
Too long, Too late  
Who was I to make you wait  
Just one chance  
Just one breath  
Just in case there's just one left  
_(_Far Away_, All The Right Reasons, Nickelback)

'Is she going to be ok with just you here?'

'I have no idea, but, I think… I think one of us needs to go back just in case something has happened. None of us have had contact with the other world. I think… hmn… I think I'll stay, you go, Shannon. I don't mind. I can stand to be comatose for a little while longer.'

There was a moment of silence. They were debating in the back, while Meike went about her business. She had the sixth Seishi. She would've had the seventh as well except that there was a misfire and one of the Seishi had turned out to be a Seishi of the Maijin and not the Seikun.

'Ok, I'll go back. I want you to devout more of your chi to Meike. I don't like the idea of her being Nyosei no Miko, but, if it has to be so, I'd prefer for her to be heavily protected.'

Jonathan frowned, not liking the tone. 'Why are you so concerned?'

'We both suffered at the same moment, falling unconscious and when she panicked after coming to this world, she opened the link to us that lat dormant. So, if she sees the god alone, it might wind up killing all three of us if we're not careful.'

'Why would she die?'

'You've heard of Genbu no Miko…?'

'I guess so…'

'She never got to use her third wish because she would've been engulfed by Genbu, had her father not killed her. And Yui? You think she survived Seiryuu? If it hadn't been for Miaka, she'd be dead. Miaka's first wish saved her, but only after Yui used her last wish and was brutally consumed by Seiryuu…. At this point, only one in two priestesses have survived.'

'Survived? What do you mean by that?' a female voice inquired.

'The priestess has a precarious role. She is a medium between the gods and the world. When she summons the god, she merges and becomes ones in order to make use of the divine power. She then has the power of three wishes that she is to use. If she is spiritually strong, she will withstand the union, if not, she will be consumed by the god.'

Quivering whimper came from Meike. 'Why didn't anyone tell? I don't want to die!'

'Meike, don't listen to Shannon! You've got to summon Nyosei!'

'It'll be ok; with Jonathan to help you, you'll have the strength you need. You're not weak. Now, I'm out of here… I have to go back…'

He trailed off. 'To the bickering…' he shuddered. 'I can hear Karl and Yui arguing…' He paused, blinked and stuttered. 'Wha…? What? Karl? What's he doing here? Oh…? Oh…'

'Hm?'

'Karl's… Kieran? But… how?'

Turning the page, Tetsuya sighed. No one had been listening to him these last three days. The only people who would have listened were unconscious. The others thought he was scaremongering, and possibly an agent of the 'others'.

He gazed up at the machines. The machines had been unused until now… they would be used now because Jonathan gave more of himself over to protecting Meike and leaving his body.

'And they think it's because his brother won't come back. They're wrong, but no one will listen to me, just because the pages that held the statement by Tenkou are blank…'

He gritted his teeth and slammed the book shut, hearing the door open.

He rose to his feet, putting the book in the pocket inside his jacket.

He felt the glare from Taka, who was the first to declare that it was, "a load of shit" that Tenkou wanted Seiryuu summoned and not 'Nyosei', who was a fabrication.

"I didn't know you actually gave a damn about the twins." Taka sneered. He wasn't fond of Tetsuya these days. The seemingly suspicious behaviour made him and others doubt the word of Tetsuya.

Snorting derisively, Tetsuya shoved by Taka, deliberately bumping into him, and upon doing so, offered up a sarcastic apology, "Oh, I'm sorry, were you standing there? I didn't realise…"

Tearing the sunglasses off Tetsuya's face, Taka threw them to the ground. "I don't know what the fuck your problem is. But, I don't like your attitude. I'm starting to think that you're not concerned with our fate… you've given into them haven't you?"

"Well, I guess now, I know what you think; you think I'm one of them. I'm not. I never was and never will be! I just think that the rest of you ought to listen! Meike is going to be in danger if the rest of you go ahead with the summoning!"

"Everyone knows that there are only four gods!"

The two glared at each other for a good solid minute.

Taka's eyes narrowed, his fist clenching into tight balls. He resisted the urge to deck Tetsuya for the perceived betrayal.

"Go… go to your master, Tetsuya. Tenkou's waiting for you."

There was another moment of silent tension before Tetsuya walked through the door. As he walked through, he muttered under his breath, "and when the world goes to hell, you and the others who have been adamant about this summoning will be credited with having ushered in the apocalypse…"

"What did you say?" Taka growled, a trace of bile rising in his throat.

But, he received no response. He stood at the door for a minute before going over to the bed, at which point, Michiko and Keisuke came into the room. They had been blocked off by the confrontation between the two young men.

"He's still not awake, is he?" Michiko whispered, stepping over to Taka.

Shaking his head, he agreed. "No, and his brother is no where to be found. His cell is dead and the last time I called, I spoke to some asshole who spoke German."

"German?" Michiko arched an eyebrow. "How do you know it was German?"

"I've heard Shannon curse in it before. He did it to piss off our manager." Taka explained, as he leaned against the wall, folding his arms lazily over his chest.

Michiko's expression softened, as he sagely pondered Taka's words. "How strange…"

"Why strange?" Keisuke queried.

Michiko didn't respond for a minute. "If I'm not mistaken, he doesn't answer the phone in any other language other than English and Japanese…"

The two nodded.

"Can you describe the voice Taka?"

"Uh… it… uh… the voice was soft and firm. It sounded like Shannon's only not as deep…"

Michiko mused for a minute. "Like Shannon's, but not quite?"

Taka nodded in response.

She shook her head. "No… why would he give his phone to Karl?" she pondered out loud. She didn't quite like how this was fitting together.

"First Yui vanishes, then Shannon leaves without a trace, Jonathan becomes gravely injured and Shannon's cell phone is answered by a German…" Michiko muttered, as she gingerly touched her hand to her chin, her finger moving slightly, as he spoke aloud. "And the last time Shannon vanished, he turned up on the other side…"

Her eyes narrowed. "And I thought it seemed convenient that Marius Bartecelli and Josef Tereshkova died while checking out something in Morioka on a tip! I didn't think Luke was that smart…

"Someone on our side sold them out…"

Keisuke's curiosity peaked. "Why do you say that? I mean, there aren't many on our side that can fight and we're working against the clock to get the summoning in order to stop them from using the little devil…"

"And now even fewer, Tetsuya turned on us. He's saying not to summon."

"Ah…"

"He showed me the book, claiming that there was a passage that proved we were playing into their hands. But, the page was blank." Taka explained, an edge of resentment to his tone.

A short groan came from Jonathan. He didn't move, though his expression changed briefly to reflect some element of pain. He whimpered slightly, and murmured, "No… you have to… just trust your instincts…"

The three turned to him, flocking to his side. Michiko's eyes glazed over tearfully, her hand gingerly touched a hand to his face. "Jonathan? Jonathan, speak to us. What's wrong?"

The three held out, but, received no response.

Michiko bent over, listening to his breath. Her brow furrowed. "He's breathing very shallowly… and I can't feel his chi… but, he just spoke now."

"Shannon did something stupid and now he's brother's paying for it." Taka declared vehemently.

Keisuke shook his head, refusing to believe it for even a minute. "Taka, even if Shannon turned on our side, he's too attached to his brother to do anything to hurt him."

Michiko shook her head. "I wouldn't put it past him, especially if he is working with Karl..."

"Would you both stop it. He's not going to do that…" Keisuke sternly replied, folding his arms stubbornly over his chest.

Taka peered closely through narrowed eyes, over his shoulder. "So, you've been taken in by Tetsuya's wild stories about a fifth priestess… and the fact that we can't summon Seiryuu…"

Keisuke shrugged. "Even if I did, at least it makes sense! The book is there and it writes itself as it happens. Plus, it would explain why Jonathan is having strange reactions. He wouldn't be twitching unless his brother was actually doing something, but chances are his brother is in a similar predicament, which means he's reacting to something happening to their sister."

Michiko snorted derisively. "There are only four gods. This is a load of horse manure."

Keisuke sadly shook his head and turned away, walking from the room.

He didn't glance back as he wandered down the pristine, sterile hallway, pressing the call button for the elevator. He sighed and leaned against the wall, until the distinctive ding resonated softly. The door parted, and with a clear path, he boarded it and pressed the call button for the ground floor.

Leaning against the steel rail, mounted on the pale red marble-patterned, he turned his gaze up to the centre point above the door and watched the numbers tick by before the elevator dinged, upon reaching the ground floor.

He slipped out the parting doors before they fully opened and headed down the short hall that led to the cafeteria.

He needed a drink; anything, even a coffee would do at this moment. He walked over to the self-serve counter and picking up a paper cup from the medium size stack, placed it under the dispenser for the Colombian blend from Van Hough. He held the button down as the steaming hot liquid filled his cup.

Releasing the lever, he pulled out his cup and took it over to the second self-station and poured in sugar and milk – two of each, preparing himself a classic double-double.

Pulling change out of his pocket, he walked past the cash register and dropped the change on the counter, without bothering to wait for his low-domination clink.

Glancing up from the book, Tetsuya waved at Keisuke, who nodded and wandered over, pulling out the adjacent chair, first placing his cup on the table, before seating himself. He pulled in the chair and glanced across the table. "Anything happening?"

Shaking his head, Tetsuya glanced up. "Nothing yet; they have all seven, but they have to get back to the capital. They did get ambushed by a band of roadside bandits. Ariboshi drove them away after messing with them…"

Sipping, Keisuke nodded simply.

"Why'd you leave?"

"Taka and Michiko won't desist, even though they know it's true. They seem to think that Shannon did something reprehensible and that it is now imperative that we get Yui to summon again…"

Tetsuya snorted derisively. "What exactly would that accomplish, even if she had to? She couldn't withstand it the first time. She's weak. Even Meike has a fighting chance."

Sipping, Keisuke nodded again, swallowing a mouthful of hot liquid.

Tetsuya slid the book across the table. "I'm going for a walk, can you monitor things? If anything happens… uh…"

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" Keisuke drawled sarcastically, as he turned the page, the text appearing on the next. He rolled his eyes. "I'll try and inform you…"

Snapping his hand, so it just brushed up, instead of smacking Keisuke upside the head, Tetsuya took his empty cup, and crumpling it in his hand, dropped the balled up cup into a rubbish bin.

Reaching into his coat, he pulled out his pack of twelve fags. He picked up the habits when he came under stress about two years prior.

He removed one from the pack and stuck the butt in his mouth, replacing the pack in the inner pocket of his coat, as he strolled down the length of the corridor, heading to the revolving door that sat at the end of the spacious lobby.

Stepping through the door at the entrance to the lobby, he pulled out a matchbook, and he removed the second last unused match. He flipped over the book and struck the match against the heavily scratched sulphur surface, a flame igniting on the end of the previously unused match.

_3 hours later_…

At his feet were a small pile of cigarette remains. He had only got up once to walk over to a vending machine that sold packs of cigarettes and lighters to buy himself a lighter after he used his last match.

He moved the butt from his mouth, as he slowly exhaled, the smoking billowing up in a jagged halo around his head before dissipating into thin air.

He held it out away from himself for a minute.

He held the butt of the fag between his index thumb and his thumb of his left hand.

He brought the cigarette back over to his mouth for another puff as a motorcycle coasted up swiftly beside the curb, stopping abruptly, spraying him lightly with the water of a shallow puddle.

He glared at the driver, who removed his helmet.

"Watch what you're doing."

"Make me."

"Oh fuck… you!"

"Nice to see you too, sugar." He drawled nastily, as he placed his helmet on the bitch seat. Putting the kickstand down, he dismounted the bike and sneered at Tetsuya. "You smoke like a Frenchman, isn't that sweet; where's your espresso, _garcon_?"

Taking a puff, Tetsuya glared over the billowing smoke. "I don't smoke like a frog, asshole."

"That's right, because if you did, you'd have a mistress hanging off each arm." Shannon remarked nastily, as he sat down on the bench and took out his pack of cigarettes.

Arching an eyebrow, Tetsuya watched as his rival removed a cigarette, placing it between his lips and lighting it. He smirked. "It's a filthy habit."

"Hello Kettle, nice to meet you, I'm Pot." Shannon retorted snidely, as he pulled the butt of the cigarette from his mouth. He held it between his index and middle finger.

"Since when do you smoke?"

"This shit is cheaper than chrono and I don't know where I can find a supplier so I can get blitzed. It was easier in Belfast; Reilly gave me my nickelbag before my shift. If he got a fresh batch, he'd give me a dime if I ran a double shift."

Tetsuya blinked stupidly. "I understood only half of that."

Shannon smirked and chortled. "You poor naïve Jap."

Glaring nastily at him, Tetsuya growled, "Watch the xenophobic language, _gaijin_!"

"Take a breather. In fact, take a couple of drags of a blunt and breathe easier…" Shannon replied, as he dug into his pocket and tossed a tin foil pack over to Tetsuya.

"What the fuck is this?"

"Never heard of Mary Jane?"

"This is totally illegal! I can't believe I'm even touching this!" He threw it back at Shannon.

Catching it, he placed it on his leg and flicked his half-smoked cigarette onto the street. Then, unfolding the foil, he removed a joint. After folding the foil back up, he pocketed the small packet.

Tetsuya moved down to the edge of the bench. "I don't need to start smelling of this…"

After lighting up, Shannon briefly regarded his much-hated rival, and exhaled. "You never seemed to object before. In fact, you and Keisuke would just use an air freshener in the room."

"That's because the air was too damn stale to tell exactly what was causing it." Tetsuya snarled, as he lit another cigarette.

_9 minutes later_…

Tetsuya stood up; he couldn't stand sitting near Shannon, especially after that whole joint vanished. He didn't take his sights off the guy though. He wasn't sure if it was wise to leave his rival alone.

"Uh…"

"Hey… you realise that we're puppets in God's cruel game? We were only put on this planet as a cruel experiment because God is a nasty bastard?"

"Eh…?"

"Well… there's a reason that He messes with us. You know all that bullshit about Him being a caring and loving God? That's a bunch of Protestant liberal commie-tree hugging propaganda. God isn't anything like that. If read about Job, you'd read about all the fire and brimstone. God took everything from Job because He's a cruel bastard."

Tetsuya blinked and backed away two steps. He didn't want anything to do with this, nor did he want to know any more. It was strange talking to Shannon without getting sarcasm and threats thrown his way in an overly casual flippant manner.

"Uh… sure… I guess…"

"Of course, one can only guess if they are a godless heathen. You need to welcome God into your life. You see, Job believed, but he didn't welcome God into his life, which is why God screwed him over. God is mysterious and expects full loyalty and punishes the slightest detraction."

"Uh…."

"The people who say God is, loving and caring forget that it was his son that was the good one. He's first sinless figure in Catholicism… even though he died for our sins. He died for them because he believed fully in his Father; in God."

"This makes zero sense."

"To your godless mind, of course it does. But…" Shannon reached into his jacket inner pocket and pulled out a copy of the Old Testament. "If you give God a chance, it'll all start to make sense."

He tossed the Bible over at Tetsuya, who caught, and had a surprised expression over his face as he did.

Flipping it open, he blinked simply. "It… it's in some weird form of…?"

"It's in Latin. Kieran gave it to me."

Tetsuya again blinked.

"The language from which the romance languages are derived."

Flipping through, he read the book titles as best he could. At least the language looked close enough to English.

"You're not baptised and so, original sin isn't washed from you. Even if you live a good life, you're going to hell because you inherited the sin of Adam and Eve."

"I'm Buddhist…"

"And you're also an atheist, and thus, not baptised."

"Why does it matter?" he seethed, rubbing his temples. He never imagined having a religious discussion with anyone, let alone a zealot.

"It matters because in the Lord's eyes, those who aren't baptised are unclean and tainted by the original sin that caused humans to fall from paradise. Catholicism is the way back into God's embrace. He is always putting us on trial with everything He does and doesn't do."

Tetsuya went to retort but summarily closed his mouth. He thought about it for a minute. 'Is he really forcing his religion on me? Then again, I've never listened to him talk about it before…'

"He doesn't answer us directly because he tests our strength that way."

There was a long moment of silence before a man, specifically, Karl, came running over, his hands over his ears. He seized the Old Testament from Tetsuya.

Behind him, hot on his trail was Yui, obviously displeased about something.

Karl glanced back at her then at the book. He shrugged and smacked himself in the head with it.

"Eh? What the…? Is this normal practice?"

"No… this is Kieran being…stupid." Shannon stood up and removed the bible from his father's hand and speaking in English said, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Anything to end the sound of her bleedin' naggin'! Me noggin', I can't take more of her nitpicking and henpecking; damn skirt is worse than me wife."

"I take she was being a wanker…"

"That's an understatement…"

Yui folded her arms. "No using slang I don't know to talk about me!"

Karl glanced sideways at her. "After the incessant naggin'…"

"It wasn't nagging!" Yui exclaimed folding her arms over her chest.

Karl smirked, "then what was it, lass?"

Yui paused and after a second replied, "well… even if it was nagging, you deserved it! I mean, you were driving too fast, you stayed on the wrong side of the road, you ran a red light, you…"

Karl shoved his fingers in his ears. "What even like this; I hear the sounds of a dronin' nag…"

Tetsuya glanced over and whispered, "Does your religion keep women from nagging?"

"Well… it doesn't let them preach."

"Great, where do I sign up?"

"Over there at St. Paul's Cathedral…" Shannon replied pointing over at the small Cathedral down the road.

"…and, then there was that car you cut off, the five stop signs you didn't stop for…" Yui continued, ticking items off her fingers.

Karl blinked coldly at her. "Didn't I tell you to translate for me? This only proves that your education isn't practical, lass. I can drive in Germany; Japan has messed up signs."

The three who were clearly not involved took it as their cue to back away, mutually agreeing upon staying out of this conflict. It was going to get nasty, if the tone each of the quarrelling folk took on were any indication thereof.

She placed her hands on her hips. "I told you…."

"What did you tell me, exactly? What? What is it you told me, lass? Nothing… nothing I believe. In fact, you nagged me the whole way here because I refused to validate your whining with any form of answer. Don't they provide Midol for people like you here, or does Japan prefer to subdue its women by denying them it?" Karl bit out scathingly. "You are the most ill-mannered twat I've ever had the displeasure of sharing a car ride with. How my son can tolerate you is absolutely beyond me. You're a damn insufferable brat! No wonder he won't tell you shit about himself. You'd probably turn it into locker room chick gossip."

Yui sputtered indignantly and several times throughout Karl's rather windy rant attempted to interrupt him, only to be driven back by the rate of his ranting. Her English wasn't advance enough to interfere when someone was speaking at her in such a fast manner. She couldn't retort and listen at the same time. She had to do one or the other.

"You…"

"And, furthermore, you have zero respect for your elders, which surprises me, given the nature of your culture. If you don't know someone, I thought your culture fostered a sense of strict formality, unlike the west which is known for its blatant informality.

"If you had followed your customs, we wouldn't be in this predicament, but, you didn't want to stick to your culture. You'd much rather snip at the first person you see, don't you, Priestess of Seiryuu? How the hell did you ever get Suboshi to kiss your damn feet?

"Priestess of Byakko had far more character in her tiny pinkie than you do in your whole body."

Keisuke and Tetsuya, who were quite unfamiliar with the man, stared aghast at him. No one had ever spoken to Yui so bluntly. The most charismatic person to speak to her had used such eloquent speech and those who disliked her kept their words toned down. This man didn't. He was different.

Shannon smirked and snickered. He knew something must've happened, since Karl never used such harsh words.

Yui had paled and was at a loss. "I… I…"

"What's the matter, Priestess? You don't have someone rushing to your defence? Speechless are you? Much like your friend was after that shameless attack on her in order to gain the Shinzahou of Byakko; the one protected by Tatara so that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Your deceit hurt the remaining Byakko Seishi… I'd have loved to break you then, but my powers were drained and all I could do was mime my way to the truth…

"It was your side that brought forth the second coming of Tenkou. The Byakko Seishi put their asses on the line to prevent him from emerging, but, our efforts were futile because of you… it's your fault that he's resurfaced and if you summon Seiryuu, it'll be your fault that the world goes to hell in a hand basket."

A bolt of lightning landed at his feet as he jumped away, assuming a defensive stance.

"Feeding her bullshit propaganda, Schwartz?" a female voice drawled in accented German.

"Oh goody, look what the cat dragged in…" he cast a derisive gaze at Michiko. "Go bugger off, kid."

Taka stepped in front of Yui.

Electricity sizzled around Michiko's hand. "Schwartz, this is your first and last warning, get out of here before I make your life miserable."

Shannon moved forward. "What the hell is your damn problem?"

"Back down, or are you now one of them?" she snarled.

"What of what?"

"Don't play stupid! You're one of them. You cleverly disguised yourself from day one."

Shannon blinked and stared at Michiko. "Whatever it is you've been smoking, what is it and where can I get some?"

She threw at bolt of lightning at him, which he deftly dodged.

She turned to Taka. "Get Yui out of here; I'll get Miaka. I don't trust him if he's staying in the same area as Schwartz and not killing him."

Taka, though not really knowing the full truth, nodded. Michiko had a solid head on her shoulders and seemed to know a thing or two. Plus, one just doesn't disagree with the head of the Yakuza's daughter.

Grabbing Yui's wrist, he pulled her out of the area, as Michiko vanished in another direction.

The remaining four just stood there stupidly before Karl poked Shannon. "What the hell just happened, boy?"

"I have no goddamn idea."

Since the two were now speaking again in English, Tetsuya and Keisuke could understand them slightly better.

Keisuke took the lead. "Uh…sir?"

"Yes, son?"

"What did you mean by "mime your way to the truth?" And why do you seem to refer a lot to Byakko and compare Byakko no Miko to Seiryuu no Miko?"

Karl paused. "Firstly, I do because I served the Priestess of Byakko. I too am a reincarnation. I'm Byakko Seishi, Amefuri… I'm a shape shifter, meaning I can take on any form. It also means I could increase my life span. It allowed me to be one of the longest living Seishi, outside of Seiryuu Seishi Miboshi and Genbu Seishi Iname.

"And miming my way to the truth… Ah, yes... those were fun days. The Suzaku crew were a fun lot. I can't say that Mitsukake was a barrel of laughs. The others were…"

"That means…"

Without saying a thing, Karl blinked and vanished, or at least seemed to…

The two look around, quite puzzled before Keisuke pointed at the ground, feeling something paw at him.

"A cat?" Tetsuya murmured, confused by the turn of events.

Shannon growled softly and glared resentfully at the cat. "Damn cat… stupid animal…." He then muttered under his breath, "stupid cat who thinks it can perform Kung-fu… damn little spying cat…." From there it became incoherent rambling.


	37. Chapter 37

Nyosei no Miko

_I didn't want this  
Somebody help me see  
Now I feel it  
Feel like I've been there  
I didn't need this  
Somebody help me breathe_

(_Breathe_, The State, Nickelback)

_The girl watched as Katsui left the house, following behind the guard._

_She didn't quite pay attention to what was said._

_Once they left, she sat on the bed, curling up into a ball_….

'I don't want to be here! What the hell is this place? This is….' Meike's eyes glistened with frightened tears. She sincerely felt scared and never had she felt this anxious before in her life and in her mind, her 'mother' had been the singularly most frightening thing until now.

She draped her arms over her head. She just wanted to disappear right now. She had always been an expert actress. Concealing her true emotions was easy enough, especially when she acted hostile. It was the easiest way to prevent someone from getting close to her and realising just how messed up her life was.

Her life, up to this moment now seemed like a walk in the park. Sure, her 'mother' had been a control freak, making Meike feel terrible for so much as wanting to dress in something that wasn't loose fitting.

Even in those moments of utter madness, Meike could remember her mother muttering something about, "Heidi… you backstabbing, naïve bitch… once day you'll get your comeuppance… you and that asshole… yes, if you think you've paid, you have no idea…"

Meike tried to ignore it.

Her figuring was that her 'mother' was mad. It was the easiest conclusion to reach on the matter.

Despite believing her 'mother' was mad; she truly feared crossing the woman. Her mother was fanatically conservative. There was no reasoning with her. Her conservatism ruled over their lives like the cruel fist of the darkest hour.

For a brief moment in her life, she felt as though there was a silver lining when she met her brothers. They embraced her and welcomed her as their sister, despite being separated at birth. But, then everything went sour when Shannon disappeared without a word and Jonathan seemed to almost ignore her…

She felt left in the cold.

Since then, she found herself contemplating thoughts of the suicidal nature. 'Would anyone really miss me? That woman made my life miserable and my brothers don't even seem to care. There is no one who actually gives a damn about me. Words are so shallow… will I die alone? Probably…'

She found herself frequently hiding these thoughts from everyone around her. It was easier that way. No one would question her if she appeared stable.

Her 'mother' made it clear that Meike was heavily unwanted; that she was a burden if she didn't listen to what she was told. The religious fanaticism drove Meike to embrace atheism. It provided her with the logic she couldn't find in Catholicism. The cold rigid doctrine alienated her.

She couldn't understand how her oldest brother could follow it. His devotion seemed zealous to her and quite fanatical, even though he was moderate in comparison to the image that danced in her head.

And her father? She didn't have a father… for as long as she could remember, the woman who she believed to be her mother brought home different men almost once a month and had married four times and broke off two other engagements and yet, chewed Meike out for the slightest infringement.

It was only a brief moment in which she felt safe but then in a flash of golden light it was torn from her. She was thrown into a world that was foreign to her and nothing made sense. All she wanted was just to return home and pursue her dream of being a chef. Cooking had been the only thing to provide her with a reason to live.

'Why do I have to be here?' She wondered. She really hated it here and felt insecure. She wrapped her arms around herself. 'I don't want to be here…' Tears streaked down her face.

She blinked, feeling a warm breeze encase her on the left, then one on the right.

The two drafts of air closed around her, blanketing her in an oddly comforting ghostly embrace.

'What…?'

It's ok, Meike. You don't have to be scared. This place is a parallel world that exists next to ours. You were pulled here because the Gods need you. There is an evil here that can only be banished once the Miko summons the God. It has happened before for Genbu, Byakko, Suzaku and Seiryuu.

'Eh…?'

The first chuckled. It's ok… we're part of you for now, so you can trust us, dear sister. You see, we're kind of unconscious at the moment and we would've woken up, except we need to protect you first.

'Jonathan…?' Meike thought.

Yes?

'How are you here?'

I'm spiritually unbound from my body. When I lose consciousness, I can drift between my body and Shannon's, and thus, yours. Usually we keep to ourselves but after we felt the change, we thought that it would be in your interests to allow you into the sacred space that we share that no one else can come.

"Explain.'

You see, Shannon and I were always able to share a common and very strong link to each other, which dates to a time before you ever existed. You see, we're not originally from our world, we're from the world you've been transported to and hence, reincarnations of Seishi. As Seishi, we shared one spiritual bond, two bodies.

When we were reborn, we were born with you as our twin sister and it seems that you've been able to make the link to us as well, though you probably didn't explore it as deeply because you didn't understand it.

It would also explain why you might've experienced unexplained cuts and sprains…

'Oh right… like the time I don't recall feeling suicidal and my wrists spontaneously burst open!' Meike retorted sourly.

Jonathan moaned softly, a guilty chuckle escaped him. Sorry about that… I… or maybe it was my brother…

'It happened several times and if what you say would make the link stronger, I don't feel like any part in it, especially if Shannon is going to try and kill himself at whim!'

It's not his fault! He… he…

'You can't justify his actions!'

Please, Meike… don't assume that because he's done it before that he'll do it again. In fact, he held out on this because he didn't want to hurt you. He wants to help protect you just as I do. If you share a common spiritual point with us we can help protect you.

'Then why won't he say so?'

Fine, I'll admit it; he fucking sucks at expressing himself, and so, he can't say it. He has me acting on behalf of us both.

Meike paused. 'One thing…'

Yes?

'Why do I feel like you're both here?'

Because we have allowed it. Now, don't sulk; you're not alone, sister. We'll be here to help you. Listen to us and you'll make it.

"_Meike-sama? Are you all right? Meike-sama?!"_

Your Seishi is calling you, sister. He'll be able to protect you, and if he tries anything funny, Shannon and I can protect you.

Opening her eyes, Meike gazed up.

Katsui smiled. "Meike-sama, sorry about leaving you here alone." He bowed deeply. "But, the emperor requested my immediate presence. The empress was in sire straits. She needed my help."

Meike rubbed her eyes gently. "How so?"

Katsui smiled modestly. "I was born with a strange gift; I am able to suppress pain and redirect energy within a person. I can either energize them or drain them… I mainly use it for medicinal gains. The emperor knows of my gift and has called on me before."

Meike nodded. She remembered her brothers having odd skills themselves.

She paused for a minute then asked, "Katsui, what do you know about the other gods?"

"Well, it's been three hundred years since Genbu was summoned, and Genbu no Miko died because of it. Byakko no Miko appeared two hundred years ago and she withstood the god's wrath. About a hundred years ago, Seiryuu and Suzaku no Miko both appeared, and because they did at the same time, it threw the stability of the worlds off, thus ushering in an era in which Tenkou-Maijin could thrive. It is his existence which makes it possible for the Nyosei Seishi to gather.

"I've heard part of the legend say that Tenkou can travel between the two worlds.

"Tenkou Maijin also gets his followers by offering the sweet deals that on the surface are harmless, but once you accept, you're blood bound to serve him. He has coerced many humans into doing his bidding. Or at least that's what Ariboshi-san has told me."

"Who's Ariboshi?"

"She's a blind, telepath who lives in the city as well. She's also a Nyosei Seishi, not a follower of Nyosei Maijin."

_Unsure, girl followed her Seishi out. He was escorting her over to meet the blind telepath._

_The girl followed her Seishi across the city, over to a less than welcoming area, where she felt herself drawn closer to her Seishi for security. The two walked cautiously, as he guided her to the other seishi's home._

Katsui raised a hand to knock on the flimsy door.

"Come in, Shui-chan. Don't bother knocking."

Katsui blushed. He hated it when she used his name; he hated it even more so when she used a cutesy honorific with it.

He opened the door, sticking his head in. "Are you…?"

"I'm not busy, and yes, I'd like to meet Meike please."

Meike just stared. 'How did…?'

"How did I know? I'm a telepath." Ariboshi explained simply. "And I would thank you not to stare, it's quite rude, Nyosei no Miko."

Meike unconsciously shuddered. The woman was glancing right at her, even though she was clearly blind, and wouldn't be able to see with the black cloth bound around her eyes.

"Ah… Ariboshi-san… please, she's new here…" Katsui said weakly.

"Don't snivel, it's unbecoming, and she's been here a few days already." Ariboshi sternly replied. She stood up and walked over to Katsui. "And why hasn't she been brought before _Kousei no Heika-sama_? She's the priestess and she's being forced to slink around the slums of Aoisora."

"Ah…"

Ariboshi folded her arms over her chest. "And weren't you just summoned to assist the _kisaki-sama_ with the birth of the crown **_koushaku_**?"

"Well…?" Katsui began.

"Look, just go back to your little hovel, and I'll escort her myself since you can't think beyond the next three minutes of your life." Ariboshi pointed Katsui to the door, and seized Meike's wrist, pulling her behind her as she left the small building.

"But… Ariboshi-san, they won't let…"

"They will very well let me in. Now, go make yourself useful."

Katsui pouted and sullenly followed the older Seishi and Meike.

Meike pulled her wrist from Ariboshi's vice grip and indignantly rubbed her wrist. "You don't have to be so aggressive, eh."

Ariboshi paused midstride. "You seem rather lost and forceful guidance was necessary, especially if you think that Shui-chan will do something that doesn't involve whining."

"Well, you could've just pointed me in the right direction! Shit, you're worse than my twin brothers!" Meike snorted as she glared at Ariboshi. "More aggressive than need be."

She paused. "At least you didn't try and use some strange ropes conjured out of nothingness to make a point…"

Ariboshi sighed, rubbing her temples. She didn't want to penetrate Meike's mind, sensing that she might get more than she bargained for. But, ropes conjured out of nothing…?

"Tell me, priestess, how did he do it?"

"He's a telekinetic."

"A telekinetic? In your world? There are people born with Seishi-like powers?"

"Yes, and they're called 'reincarnations'…"

Ariboshi's interest was peak. She found this rather intriguing. "Tell me something, are they Seishi?"

"Yes, my brothers are, and two of the girls they know are priestesses…"

"Then the time passage isn't a hundred years in your world?" Katsui asked, puzzled.

Meike shrugged as they wandered to the exit to the long alley. "I don't know. All I know is that it was two or three years ago that one of my brothers claimed he saw Suzaku summoned in my world…"

"So, the legend is true! Suzaku was really summoned in that world!" Katsui gasped, amazed. He fell in stride next to Meike. "That's… your world is lucky is witnessed such a thing!"

"It isn't good though, because I've been told that some evil asshole by the name of Tenkou is using the dual-era summoning to destroy the pillars of the sky and earth…"

"So, Seiryuu and Suzaku no Miko did summon during the same year?"

"Yes, and they're best friends from what I know." Meike replied; then peered over at Ariboshi. "If you're telepathic, why are you asking, can't you just use your skill to extract what you need?"

Ariboshi sagely paused, then explained, "Because, I gathered from your aura that there is something in your mind that I probably am better off not knowing."

Meike shrugged. She didn't know what would be disturbing, but, she had tuned out her brothers' darker secrets. It was easier that way, because then it meant she could easily be connected to them.

Ariboshi's lips were pursed as she was lost in thought. 'I could use it to see if she knows something about Tenkou…'

"Forgive me, Priestess…" she said, focusing her chi singularly on Meike's.

She gasped, immediately attempting to shut down the link, but failed. "Priestess, why didn't you say you were mentally connected to your twin brothers?" She clutched her temples. She was used to being bombarded with someone else's memories and thoughts, but not to the degree that she had just been exposed.

"I didn't think it…"

Ariboshi forced herself through the mental quagmire of trauma and drama. "Priestess… you're not going to do anything….suicidal if the gathering takes a while and it gets stressful?"

"Why would…? No! Just because my brother's have done it, doesn't mean I do… the scars on my wrists aren't mine." Meike explained, showing her left and right wrists.

Taking the wrists in her hands, her fingers gingerly caressed the scars. "These don't feel like they were done by your hand. Quite odd." She let Meike's wrists go and smiled. "I was worried for a minute that perhaps you wouldn't be strong enough to hold the post as priestess, since only two of the four were able to withstand the god's power…"

Meike scoffed dismissively. "What power? God is a bloody figment of the imagination and does nothing to help us, as proof he doesn't exist in any form. If he did, prayers might actually get answered.

"After all, could he create a rock so heavy that even he couldn't lift it?"

Katsui and Ariboshi shrugged, they didn't seem to understand it. Why did Meike speak as if there was only one god, and not four, and a fifth, which was the embodiment of pure evil and pure good; the eternal paradox.

Katsui reached out, touching Meike's shoulder. "Heh… you're funny."

"Priestess, can you go wait at the merchant over there?" Ariboshi asked, interrupting, as she pointed to a silk trader. "I need to talk to Shui-chan."

Shrugging coolly, Meike walked away.

Seizing Katsui's hand, pulling him in. She whispered, "Shui-chan, are you sure that this is Nyosei no Miko and not the Maijin's Miko? She doesn't believe in any god, and… she's not a virgin."

"Does she have to be?"

"Yes, the priestess must be a virgin."

"But why would Nyosei take a girl who wasn't?"

Ariboshi paused. She remained silent. She hadn't thought of that. "Shui-chan, we need to take her to the palace and talk to an adept at the shrine of Nyosei, so that we can find out what the prerequisites are… or…"

"Or?"

"Try and get a meeting with Taiitsukun."

Meanwhile, Meike was examining the merchant's wares. She was quite enchanted by a simple silk ensemble that would be a worn by a working woman in the city. It had pants and a knee-length tunic, attire set suited for a street worker.

The tunic was a deep royal blue with brilliant gold trim embroidered on the collar. The pants were a brighter blue. They were loose until the ankle, at which point they were held together by clasps.

She kept her hands behind her back, as she examined it.

"Ah yes, that is a new item. I just got it from a travelling merchant from Kutou. He says that this style is popular amongst the messengers. It's versatile. I can give it to you for…" the merchant mused for a minute, as he contemplated what he believed to be a fair price.

"Ah… I'm just looking. I'm waiting for Katsui and Ariboshi…" Meike replied, pointing to her companions who were lost in a deep conservation.

"You're a friend of Katsui-sama?"

Meike blinked.

"Could you have him come here? I need to speak with him…" the merchant's expression was meek.

Meike gazed back over her shoulder and motioned for Katsui to come over. He nodded at Ariboshi and trotted over to the merchant. He reached out, taking the merchant's hand.

"Tra-san, it's been a while. How's your wife?"

"She's ill again, Katsui-sama. I want you to go pay her a visit. She's been in much pain since we returned from Kutou. I fear she may have contracted something."

Ariboshi placed a hand on Katsui's shoulder. "Go with him, Shui-chan, I'll escort the priestess over to the palace."

"Priestess?" the merchant gazed over at the girl. He blinked and bowed. "Forgive me, your eminence; I hope I wasn't rude to you."

Meike shrugged. "It's ok…." She turned to Ariboshi as they wandered away. "Why did he just apologize like that?"

"The priestess holds more power than the emperor in Kousei. The priestess is the saviour and the one closest to the god. There were four before you, all of whom had the same level of influence in their respected countries." Ariboshi explained, as they walked by a group of four guards who were patrolling the street.

The pair walked in silence.

Meike didn't quite know what to make of this. Not only was this strange, but, it seemed too surreal to be surreal; the element of realism was tangible. The realism of the world was before her eyes. The pain in the beggar's voice, as a quivering hand was held up, and a creaky voice whimpered, "Alms for the poor?"

She felt helpless. Normally, she would have simply ignored the individual, but, something about the rags and gnarled appearance that changed her attitude. She shrugged, apologising.

The elderly beggar watched through squinted eyes as the girl walked by with her blind companion. The beggar's expression twisted into something malevolence. She chuckled to herself, noting the appearance of the passing girl.

'So, this is the girl; this is the priestess…' she reasoned. She smirked nastily as she caressed the back of her hand, where a black character appeared. 'This will be easy…'

The beggar slunk into the shadows, vanishing from sight.

Ariboshi twanged, feeling something. 'What was that?' She felt a nearby unfriendly chi. 'The Maijin are preparing to strike already? They waste no time.'

She spun around as a cloaked assassin spiralled in from a window upon, dropping just behind.

She pushed Meike out of the way and faced the assassin, who was dual-wielding nun chucks.

"Priestess, go to the palace entrance and talk to the guards!" Ariboshi called over her shoulder. "Just go!'

'Damnit, where's Shui-chan?'

Meike took a step away from Ariboshi, but stopped as three more appeared, blocking her way.

Several local citizens scattered, fleeing for their own safety. Many children were whisked away. Merchants frantically attempted to maintain order to prevent theft, and the patrolling Imperial Guard rushed over.

On horseback came the captain of the guard.

Another four assassins appeared from various nearby crevices, and accompanying them was the elderly beggar, who held up a hand, summoning a dark force around her.

"You cannot pass, Priestess. Unless…"

"She'll never go with you damn Maijin! Step away from her, you twisted hag!" Ariboshi growled, launching a psychological attack on the beggar, who easily deflected it with the dark protective aura.

An assassin near Meike swooped in and seized her from behind. "The girl will come with us. She'll never serve the Seikun. The Maijin will be taking her. Her debt shall be repaid that way and our Lord will be freed."

Struggling against her assailant, Meike attempted to free herself, only to find his grip tightening on her.

The elderly beggar approached Ariboshi. "You will give us the girl, and no one else shall be harmed." She said levelly.

She raised a gnarled finger, "and don't think of taking one step closer. If you value her life, you'll stay put."

Ariboshi stripped off the wrap around her eyes, her sightless green eyes boring into the steely grey eyes of the beggar. "The girl will not go with you and if your assassin doesn't free her, there will be hell to pay."

Behind them, the guards fought with the assassins, no one able to come to the assistance of Meike, who vainly struggled against her assailant.

She then gasped, her eyes widening, as his hand tightened around her slender neck. She blinked, her eyes going all wild. Then, in a single swift move, she bent over, flipping him over her back, sending him to the ground in a heap of tangle limbs.

She pressed a foot heavily on his back, her hand holding a blue light that manifested a strange object.

Ariboshi and the beggar turned to the priestess, whose eyes glowed strangely. She was surrounded by an odd blue aura.

'Blue aura? What's this chi?' Ariboshi felt the altered presence of the girl.

"Last words are unbecoming of you." The girl growled nastily, her voice had deepened and the tone changed. Her eyes radiated a hatred never seen before.

"What the…?" the elderly beggar gasped horrified as one of her assassins laid sprawled on the ground, seconds later, festering in a cesspool of his own blood. She glanced up into the face of the girl, now splattered with blood.

Around Meike menacingly floated a weapon never before seen by Ariboshi or the elderly beggar.

Meike turned her gaze to the beggar and growled. "Don't even think of laying a hand on my sister, you fucking Maijin!"

'What am I doing?' She thought, as she felt her hand move, starting at the forehead.

"_In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti… intereo_!"

Her hand moved down, making the sign; then shot out, as a ghost of a weapon emerged from her hand, from nowhere.

Meike's pulse raced. 'What's happening? Why am I not in control?'

She wanted to control this, but, felt powerless; like she had been forced into the back burner of her own body and another force was controlling her. She could only watch as the blood of her enemies was mercilessly spilt, and the elderly beggar stared aghast as a phantom-like weapon impaled her, penetrating that frail chest.

Blood violently squirted from the gaping hole in the woman's chest, as she stood, stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

'No, what now?' Meike thought in horror as she watched her own hand, clutching a rope move back and then fling the weapon forward.

The weapon spun forward at an alarming rate, but, this time didn't penetrate the beggar, but instead slash the skin of the beggar to ribbons. The weapon stopped mid air and the beggar, coughing up blood collapsed in a bloodied heap on the ground.

'What did I just do?'


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 32: Blood Shed**

_Lessons taught but never learned  
All around us anger burns  
Guide the future by the past  
Long ago the mould was cast _  
(_Bastille Day_, Caress of Steel, Rush)

Blood dripped off her hands; droplets of blood caressed the curvatures of her chin, as the speckles either dried or rolled down her near-pale face. The rolling beads left faintly red trails, and the trails dried. The other beads deepened and became a rich crimson.

She wanted to lift her hands to her face; she wanted to see the hands she felt blood on. Blood that oozed seductively between her fingers ebbed down the back of her hand. Long streams of red fluid traced the contours of her bony hands.

Her finger tips were encrusted with blood that had dropped off the rope that snaked back around her wrist upon being summoned back, after the beggar had been impaled by the cruelty of a weapon that she had unknowingly conjured from the space of nothingness.

'Why? What is this?' She choked a sob. 'Why did this happen? Why do I have blood on my hands and yet, have no control over my body? I killed a woman…' she thought revolted, bile rising in her throat.

"Your end has met here, Maijin. Tsk… too bad I couldn't do the same to your little friends…." Her deepened voice growled contemptuously as she kicked the rigid form of the beggar. "Death was too nice for you… I guess your minions will learn the true meaning of justice…"

Her voice quivered. "STOP IT! GO AWAY! I want control back!" Meike cried frantically, seizing control, as the other force withdrew.

Her hands quivered, clutching her temples, her eyes shut tightly. Tears seeped out, gently dotting her eyelashes, two droplets falling.

"Miko!" Ariboshi quickly moved next to Meike. She instinctively sensed something awry psychologically, as she felt a chi that was too strong to be that of a normal human.

Meike leaned in, taking comfort in her companion's arms. "I killed a woman! I've never done that before!"

The captain of the guard gracefully dismounted from his chestnut-brown stallion and walked over to the pair and knelt in front of them. "Good day, I couldn't help but to notice that when you two ladies were ambushed that they were demanding the girl…"

Ariboshi nodded. "Go on…"

"They said something about the girl being a miko?"

"Yes, I and Katsui believe that this girl may be Nyosei no Miko. Her clothes are odd, she speaks in a different manner and she speaks of her own world. She may indeed be the Miko." Ariboshi replied, staring at the captain of the guard with her dead, sightless eyes.

The captain of the guard refrained from visibly shuddering under her penetrating gaze. "If you'll allow me, I'll relieve you of the burden of escorting the girl, citizen."

Ariboshi menacingly stared down the captain of the guard. "I will escort her myself. I have no problem doing such."

"But, citizens aren't permitted into the emperor's court without prior approval from the ministry…"

Ariboshi's eyes flashed haughtily. "And just who are you anyway?" She snorted derisively. Her lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Oh, just a mere captain of the guard. You've got no real purpose in life. You think you're so special, but, it's just your over-inflated ego speaking."

The captain of the guard's expression flared with gross indignation at being insulted by a blind woman. He reached for the scabbard at his waist, preparing to draw his sword. But, instead, found himself holding his hand over his head in a brandishing manner, but, sword-less.

He blinked, shocked and went to draw it, but again found himself unable to wield his sword.

"Oh, is something wrong? Unable to threaten me?" Ariboshi taunted nastily. "You'll find that you little man, are outclassed by a blind woman. Or… so it appears to be a blind woman.

"You've chosen to cross the wrong person.

"You bore me, be gone with you. I'll find someone else to amuse myself with. You're a waste of one's time. You're nothing more than an overpaid pencil pusher, better for nothing than parlour tricks at a peasant child's birthday party."

The captain of the guard intercepted her path. "Your insolence against the nation will not go unpunished."

"Oh, but it will. After all, it seems you wish to incur the wrath of Nyosei-seikun, as you are not letting me fulfil my moral obligations." Ariboshi sneered, pushing by the guard; then pivoting, her right forearm revealed, showing her Seishi symbol, which glowed a light hue of gold.

Her blood raced; the veins in her temples throbbed, as she watched the scene unfold. Were all Seishi truly like this when provoked?

Taking Meike's wrist, Ariboshi snidely pushed by the captain of the guard. "Go take care of the little petty street criminals, boy and leave the Miko to the professionals."

The captain of the guard sputtered indignantly.

Running over, nearly out of breath, Katsui came between the captain of the guard and Ariboshi. "Damnit, I leave you… alone and you're already picking on the captain again?"

Ariboshi shrugged nonchalantly and continued to guide Meike in the direction of the imperial palace.

Katsui laughed uneasily, feeling a heating sensation sear into the nape of his neck, as the captain of the guard glared menacingly at Katsui's back. He cringed and turned.

"Katsui-sama, why did you let that blind, insolent fool escape?"

"Jin, I'll thank you not to address Ariboshi-san in such a way. She may be blind, but, she is one of the Nyosei Seishi and…" he gazed around, and coolly remarked, upon laying eyes on the dead bodies littering the ground. "From the looks of it, disposed of a few of the Maijin minions."

He cast a simple expressionless gaze at the captain of the guard. "You can't assume that because someone is a certain way that they aren't a Seishi… or assume that a marking of Nyosei is fake. Only a Seishi and Nyosei can be the judge of it.

"The Seishi and Miko are drawn together by an unseen force."

The guard blinked. He plainly didn't give a load of flying horse feathers.

Meike smirked at the captain of the guard. "What are you going to do to me anyway? You're nothing but a two-dimensional background character on paper, an insignificant part of the grander picture."

She ducked behind Katsui.

"Hey!"

"What? He is!"

"It's not that! No insulting the emperor's guards and then hiding behind me! I'm fleshy and bleed very easily!" Katsui plaintively sobbed.

"For an all-mighty Seishi, you whine a lot."

"Well… I can't help it; I hate sharp pointy things that can make me bleed."

"My brothers would have a field day with you… they both love sharp, pointy things."

Katsui whimpered, as he tried to move away from the captain of the guard.

"I'm sorry…" he bowed deeply as he slunk by, trying to avoid any repercussions as a result of Meike's haughtiness.

The captain of the guard cast a cursory, derisive glance at Katsui. He knew who the boy was; a child held in a positive light by the emperor, but, the captain didn't care; he frowned upon the scum of the lower class. This boy and the girl were well out of the boundaries of normal decency.

He waved dismissively. "Go on your way. The guards will clean up this mess." He instructed in an arrogant tone.

Nodding, Katsui took Meike's hand and quickly left the area, not wanting to lurk in the same area as the captain of the guard.

Once they were safely away from the guards, Katsui turned to Meike. "You're not supposed to speak to the captain of the guard like that! He is an important member of the royal court! We're just subjects, and I'm lucky to even be of the merchant class…"

Meike shrugged. "Who cares about class? That asshole had no class; he was an arrogant prat." She walked straight for the gates that she had in her sights.

"Meike-sama! You're not supposed to talk about your superiors like that!" Katsui exclaimed, fretting over being seen.

"You worry too much. Besides, we have freedom of speech, so these morons can go shove their 'class'."

"But… but… ah! Meike-sama!" Katsui exclaimed, running after her as she boldly walked past the guards. "Meike-sama! Be careful! Don't do anything! Let me do the talking! AH! Don't go in there!"

He watched in horror as she flipped off the guards. Or… at least made a foreign gesture at the guards, which raised an eyebrow or two. He stood, unable to comprehend her sheer audacity. She had no sense of modesty, decency or any idea how to comport herself.

"Get back here, girl! You have no right to go in!" The guards chased after Meike, shoving a very shocked and bewildered Katsui aside like so much excess baggage.

She turned as five guards descended upon her.

Without thinking, she raised a hand, sending all five into a nearby concrete pillar, cracking it with the force of impact.

Katsui froze in his steps. He felt the same presence he had earlier. 'That is no doubt the chi of a Seishi… but… she can't be a Seishi! She is from the other world… but... the Seishi were reincarnated… if she is a Seishi, why would Nyosei use another god's seishi?'

Two of the guards who didn't hit the pillar directly stood up, drawing swords.

Meike held up a hand, twisting the blades, rendering the weapons unusable.

Perplexed and frightened, the guards dropped their warped weapons, frantically reaching for their colleague's weapons, but froze as Meike spoke. Her voice had transformed.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Drop the weapons, and stand against the wall." Her voice was deep; masculine sounding.

'Her voice! It's the same as before, when she killed the Maijin!' Katsui deduced as he cautiously walked closer.

"Seishi, don't move." Meike commanded without turning. "Don't even bother to suppress your chi. In fact, uncloak it before I'm forced to take action. The Maijin are all too common and how are we to trust you? I refuse to trust my sister in your hands. You must prove yourself worthy before I permit my sister to be your Miko."

Katsui swallowed nervously. 'Who is this? This is not Meike; she's possessed…'

"Uh… yes…"

"So, who are you? Why don't you start by introducing yourself so I can decide whether I should let you live or die."

"My name…. I'm Zhou Shui, Nyosei Seishi Katsui. I… I'm no Maijin! I serve only Nyosei-seikun."

Meike turned and walked over to Katsui. Her eyes narrowed. Her normally soft blue eyes were icy as her gaze rolled critically over Katsui. She snorted derisively. "Ok, so you're not a complete worthless bastard."

"Uh…" Katsui groaned. This was not Meike at all. Meike was brash but not crass. He turned to Meike who was clearly controlled by an external force. "Who are you?"

"I don't have shit to tell you, little boy. You will answer to me. I answer to no one."

"Look, I was nice and I answered your question. Now return the courtesy! You're a Seishi! Who are you?" Katsui demanded, watching his tone, noting that this force could very well kill him in the blink of an eye.

Meike, who was no doubt being controlled by strong life force, replied, "I decline to answer."

Katsui glared at Meike. "Just tell me! If you don't… uh… Ariboshi will take the answer by force."

"That pitiful Seishi?" she replied. She laughed coldly. "She will be able to do nothing. One psychokinetic cannot take data from another psychokinetic. Especially one who is significantly stronger."

She paused. "You are quite pitiful. I'll give you this much, I'm Seiryuu Seishi, Suboshi; telekinetic. I am controlling Meike directly. She surrendered her individuality for the security of unity. This unity is shared by three of us. The third party is Seiryuu Seishi Amiboshi. We are linked mentally and spiritually. My brother and I are… temporarily incapacitated so, we've decided to vacate our bodies until our bodies recover. We are sharing our sister's body. I'm taking control because you can't fight for shit, and Ariboshi is useless, plus my brother can cause way more collateral damage…"

Katsui felt that inevitable twitch overtake his left eye. "Great… so… you're sticking around?"

"As long as Jonathan and I are unconscious." Shannon replied.

Blinking Katsui shook his head. "Wait… didn't you just say that your brother's name is Amiboshi and…"

"These are our Seishi names. Our rightful names are Shannon and Jonathan. Meike… well, she is just herself. She wasn't a Seishi. Though, it would've made sense if she was…"

Katsui growled softly. He didn't like this guy, but he couldn't do anything especially since it was clear that this Seishi was possessing Meike. His fists balled up at his sides as he bit back his words.

Ariboshi stepped forward. "Why don't you just do us a favour and leave us our miko? I don't see what you stand to gain from being here."

"Other than the sheer satisfaction of pissing you two little pitiful children off knowing you can't do shit to me?"

Katsui took his staff and swung it outward, pointing the globe at Meike. "You're really trying my patience, asshole. Now get! I'm not in the mood to deal with you! Just give her back! Give Lady Meike back to us and go back to whatever fucking rock you crawled out from under!"

"Why should I?"

"Because… well, because you've got no business being here!"

"You couldn't defend the miko against an attack. You're useless. Why should I leave? I'm the best form of defence against the Maijin that she has to date. What are you and a blind chick going to do?"

The eyes suddenly changed. They were still stern but not as cold. "I'm sorry about that. It's Katsui right? My brother can be an asshole. It's not his fault; he was dropped on his head a kid."

Katsui lowered his staff, blinking. He was confused. "Uh…? What the…"

"Like he said, we took over Meike's body. I'm Amiboshi but I won't bite. I just took over since I thought he might do something stupid if given enough time." She said. "Just one thing, he is right. You and the blind chick are really under-skilled and you'd be screwed if you were faced with a Maijin attack. You can't keep the miko out here. She's too vulnerable. Get her to the palace."

"That's what I was trying to do!" Katsui whined pitifully as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Well, trying ain't good enough."

"We didn't anticipate it! You don't have to be so self-righteous!"

She smirked. "My miko never got attacked on my watch." That was true at least for Jonathan. Of course, this is if he ignored the fact that he never did anything to protect Seiryuu no Miko. In fact, he had never been in contact with her until he had arrived in Tokyo.

Ariboshi arched a fine eyebrow. "That's just not possible. How?"

"He's lying." Katsui remarked flatly, his tone resentful. "That's a load of crock."

"Actually… I'm not lying. I never had to protect the miko." He smirked. "You see, I served as a spy for Kutou and my job was to pose as Chriko and destroy the Suzaku summoning. I never had contact with the miko. So, she technically never got attacked on my watch. Suzaku no Miko however is a different story. My job had been to kill her and her Suzaku Seishi."

He vanished, causing Meike's eyes to change again. The two brothers had made a full retreat, restoring control of the body to Meike groaned, shaking her head. She rubbed her temples. This had been a nasty experience. She turned to the two Seishi. "I'm sorry about that… I… I had no control over that."

"Lady Meike!" Katsui exclaimed in relief. He ran over. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine; I just didn't expect my brothers to take over like that…" she trailed off. Her expression saddened. "But how were they able to? Did something happen back home? They were fine when I left; how come…?"

She then recalled a conversation she had earlier, and sighed.

Katsui inclined his head. "What's wrong, Lady Meike?"

She smiled, though forced, "ah, nothing. I was just remembering something I forget to do… it's nothing really."

Ariboshi stepped forward and whispered to Katsui. "I think we should get her to the palace. I think those two spirits are nearby still and we don't need to make a further scene. The soldiers may mistake us for the enemy if we keep the priestess out where the Maijin can attack her."

He nodded and lifted his staff, motioning for Meike to follow him. He led them out of the large back alley where they had been ambushed by the Maijin posing as an old lady.

Arriving at the end, he looked both ways. "Come. It's not far."

He didn't want to run into the captain of the guard, who in Katsui's less than humble opinion was an over-paid bureaucrat undeserving of the position he was granted. He captain was better suited to being a minister than a guard. The man knew nothing about warrior's honour. Nepotism was what came to mind when Katsui saw the man.

He walked forward, Ariboshi and Meike following.

He cringed as he heard the distinct sound of horse footsteps on the path.

He turned and glowered at the very person he loathed.

"Out for a little stroll, Zhou?" the captain of the guard sneered. He turned his attention to the two ladies and smirked. "You ladies should know better than to be in the company of such… low class. He's undeserving of your presence."

Ariboshi shrugged and walked past, ignoring the captain of the guard as she reached for Katsui's arm, pulling him along before he could make a snide remark. She glanced back and called for Meike to follow.

Meike went to follow but the captain of the guard moved his horse in front of her. He glanced down at her, an air of superiority to his aura. "I think it is unadvisable to be seen in public with such low-life degenerates."

"And I don't make a habit of talking to pompous jerks who ride in on horses, thinking that they're some fucking knight in shining armour." Meike sneered nastily as she walked around the horse.

"I'm sorry but maybe you didn't hear, I'm the captain of the guard and I don't think you should be with them."

"And where I come from, people like you are laughed at and ignored because you're an arrogant asshole and no one gives a flying fuck what you think. Now get the hell out of my way."

"You don't understand, I'm here to help you." He replied conceitedly. "You're a lady and you shouldn't be seen with such…. Riff-raff."

She shrugged and tried to move around the horse again. She didn't like being hit on.

"You know, it's not nice to ignore people of position. I have power and you're just a commoner. You ought to think carefully about your position."

She gave him a very unimpressed glance. "You could be the damn king and I still wouldn't give a damn. You can tell me about all your pretentious titles till the cows come home and I still won't care. Now get out of my way!"

"Miss, you don't know who you're dealing…"

"I know what precisely what I'm dealing with! I'm dealing with some asshole that needs to be taken off his high horse!" She declared as she kicked the horse in the leg, which bucked, tossing the captain of the guard onto the ground as Katsui and Ariboshi watched from a distance.

Confidently she strolled over and bent over. "What's the matter? Orison fall down go boom? Good, now don't bug me anymore! I don't care if you're the captain of the guard or whatever. When I say get out of my way, you better fucking get out of my way!"

She kicked him in the side, where there was an opening in the armour.

The captain of the guard, who hadn't been expecting events to unfold as they had, lay, staring up at the sky dazed.

Meike nonchalantly dusted off her hands and wandered over to where Katsui and Ariboshi waited for her. "That's how you deal with assholes. They're nothing but bullies."

Ariboshi's express was shocked. "Meike… that was the captain of the guard!"

"So?" Meike replied, not knowing what the big deal was.

"So, he is one of the highest ranking people in the nation, and until we take you to talk to Emperor, you're just a commoner and you can't do that! It's just not heard of!" Ariboshi hissed, fear in her voice. "What if another guard saw?"

Meike shrugged. "They've got to be accountable to the public. They're here to protect people against criminals."

"What kind of place do you come from? That's not…heard of."

"A place where women aren't second class to men; where people are subservient to others simply because someone has a 'place' in society and a fancy-smancy title." Meike replied smug as they approached the large gates that surrounded the large, grand palace that stood on a hill that overlooked the expanse of the national capital. "Sure people have more money than others but I'm from a place where you have the right to freedom of expression and the government cannot censor you for insulting the leaders."

She then pivoted on her heel and turned, going through the gates, ignoring the guards.

Freaking out, Katsui ran ahead and bowed to the guards. "We're here on official business. She's not from around here. She's with us."

He wanted to make sure the guards didn't go after Meike or at least point their weapons at her. He smiled uneasily. He stood between Meike and the guards who prepared to draw their swords but stopped as Katsui explained the situation. "We're just here to see Heng-Huo Heika-sama. The girl… we believe she is Nyosei No Miko…"

He ran ahead and seized Meike's upper arm firmly and whispered, "You can't just walk in!"

Ariboshi shrugged at the guards and walked by.

The guards stood, bewildered, unable to comprehend what just happened. They weren't used to being told off by women, and they certainly didn't know how to handle people who had the sheer audacity to just walk into the palace.

The older one leaned over to his peer and whispered something while the other nodded. They decided to let the group go on in. They knew there were other patrols on duty so if something did go wrong; the culprits would face up to their crimes. Their first duty was to protect the entrance to the palace, but they had woefully failed in doing so and feared the repercussions should they abandon their post to rectify their initial error.

Shrugging off Katsui's grasp, Meike pressed ahead, despite not knowing where to do.

"Meike! That's not the way to the…" Katsui called weakly. He sighed dejectedly. This was not going well. 'Damn pigheaded woman! Are all the girls from her world like this? I pity the other generations if their priestess was like this.'

He quickened his pace to try and keep up with her.

Unfortunately for the three of them, the captain of the guard had recovered from Meike's attack and was approaching from behind. He had several of his men with him. He pointed at the three and commanded, "Seize the girl! I will not tolerate her damn impertinence! She will rot for her words!"

The guards descended on the group. Two grabbed Ariboshi, while three apprehended Katsui, leaving the remaining four to turn to Meike.

Crying out in pain as the four guards grabbed her, she struggled against them.

Walking around, a self-satisfied smirk caressing his lips, the captain of the guard stopped in front of Meike, cupping her chin in his fingers. "You're a slippery little vixen aren't you? It's a shame I have to lock up such a pretty little thing like you. I'm sure the emperor will take mercy on your pitiful soul and grant you a spot in his harem as a low-ranking concubine…"

Her expression twisted with malice. She didn't say anything and allowed for saliva to build up in her mouth before she spat aggressively at the captain of the guard, spitting right between his eyes.

She smirked gleefully. "I'm no one's bitch, asshole!"

She glanced at the four guards that it took to restrain her. She glanced at the floor and raised a foot, kicking one in the groin.

The first guard keeled over and the other three struggled to strengthen their hold on her only to also get kicked as she broke free of their grasp and turned to the captain of the guard. She placed her hands on her hips and boldly stared him down. "Is that the best you can do?"

She bent over and took the sword from the nearest downed guard and pressed the tip to the throat of the captain of the guard. "Tell your thugs to let my friends go before I'm forced to draw blood…" Her lip curled as she snarled her command scathingly.

She pressed the tip so it began to draw blood. "So, what's it going to be, asshole?"

A thin line of blood dripped down his neck from the Adam's Apple where she had placed the sharpened tip of the blade.

She cast a glance over her shoulder. She could tell that the guards that were restraining her Seishi wanted to stop her from hurting the captain of the guard but if they let their captured targets go, they would have more to deal with…


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**: Awash in Secrecy

Her tongue moistened her upper lip as she suppressed her most malicious smirk. At this moment she felt oddly confident. She wasn't accustomed to such a feeling yet it felt right. She was relishing the new found power as she stared down the length of the sword into the terrified eyes of the captain of the guard. Her eyes pierced his, daring him to make move.

"What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to call off your thugs or are you so fucking speechless that you can't get it through your misogynist mind that a girl has the 'audacity' to question your…" she snorted derisively, "moral authority."

He opened his mouth to retort but the sharp tip of the sword kept his voice silence. He was unable to express anything other than a slight horrified guttural groan that might have been an order but it was barely audible. He swallowed, feeling his Adam's apple press against the sword that had drawn his blood.

A regal "hem-hem" was heard.

The group glanced in the direction of it, as a short man adorned in the finest garments glided in. He wore no regal headgear but his rich platinum hair was gracefully swept, not a strand out of place. He held his hands in front of his chest, his elbows rested above the sash around his waist, to which a scabbard was attached. His hands were peeking out from beneath the long sleeves of his imperial robes that were a rich, deep blood red. The robes were elegant yet simple as he wasn't in court today.

His gaze met Meike's. His soft pale grey eyes held a steady gaze with her deep icy blue eyes.

Neither broke the gaze. Behind Meike a gasp came from the guards, Ariboshi and Katsui who all dropped instantly to their knees, bowing their heads respectfully. They all kept their eyes downcast to the floor. No one dared move or raise their eyes until they were told so.

The captain of the guard wanted to show his respect but feared moving. One false move and the sword the girl was holding could slice him. He had dropped his sword when he had returned to the palace in his quarters before summoning his men upon hearing the voices of the insubordinate individuals who challenged his authority.

Taking note of Meike's diverted attention, the captain of the guard moved away quickly and knelt, muttering what may have been an apology, citing his failure to bow. He never meant to be insolent in his manners he had explained.

The short man who was likely the emperor kept his gaze transfixed on Meike's before he smiled wanly. "You're an audacious lady aren't you? You don't know who I am, do you?" His tone, while level, conveyed his utmost displeasure; his contempt for a girl who refused to bow.

"Well, I would if you introduced yourself." Meike pointed the sword at him. "But you haven't, so how could I know? You're no one important." She smirked evilly. "If you were, you'd be able to announce your presence arrogantly but you didn't so, you must just be someone's under-servant."

The emperor appeared quite amused. He had never been spoken to this way before. He stepped closer and drew the sword from the scabbard on his waist. "Ah, you see, that is where you're wrong. I am important. I'm important enough that I never have to make an entrance." He made a wide-sweeping gesture at the others who bowed submissively.

Meike snorted derisively and shrugged dismissively. "So they bow for no reason. Snivelling rank and file… They have no back bone."

"No, they are aware of the subtle nuances of our civilisation. You are quite uncouth. What gives you the right to act like this? You're a commoner; a no body."

"And you're an arrogant asshole."

"Meike-sama! Don't!" Katsui called out. "It's the emperor, don't talk back, he'll take your head off!"

"In other words I don't have to give a rat's ass about this arrogant son of a bitch?" she remarked callously, to which the nostrils of the emperor flared haughtily. Her eyes flashed nastily. "I'm not worried. He's wearing a dress. He won't be able to catch me."

She yelped as the emperor twisted his sword, flicking the blade under the one she clutched.

"I see you're armed. A rare sight here. But since you insist on being a classless harlot then I shall bear you no courtesy that is given to a girl; even one of a low caste." He hissed.

"Heng-Huo-sama; Heika-sama! Don't hurt her! She doesn't know what she's doing! Her mind isn't right! She just regained control after being possessed by a demon from her world that attacked a Maijin who ambushed us!" Katsui cried out, a sense of urgency to his tone. He glanced up, his eyes full of panic.

Dodging the sword that was raised, Meike missed the brunt of the attack, which cut the fabric on her left shoulder.

She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes flaring. She dropped the sword, her right hand balling into a tight fist. A soft blue light glowed from the inner depths of her hand.

'No... Not yet! Let me fight this!' she sobbed.

"Sorry, he's armed. Let's end this quickly. He's no better than the asshole who ruled over Kutou with an iron fist. He's going to be tasting blood!" a male voice whispered. The words crossed Meike's lips yet she was no longer in control of her body.

Recognising the voice, Katsui leapt up, pushing the emperor back. He turned and stood between the possessed Meike and the emperor.

He cast his eyes over his shoulders. "Heika-sama, don't do anything. She's possessed by a former Seishi who's been reincarnated in her world. He'll kill you if you try and hurt Meike-sama."

The emperor raised a hand and moved Katsui aside. "Shui, don't bother yourself with this girl. We will take care of her. You have other matters to attend to. The Empress could use your expertise. It seems she is rather ill following the birth of our son."

"Heng-Huo-sama, please listen to me! This girl is not an ordinary girl! She is…"

"Tut-tut… no need to try and explain, Shui." Heng-Huo brushed Katsui's concerns aside nonchalantly. "You needn't worry about this. We're able to handle this without…"

"You're a foolish man even if you're the emperor. You're truly no better than Ru-Wei Heika! You govern with contempt; you govern with malicious intent. You know nothing of the plight of the common peasant as you sit in the comfort of opulence and indulgence. You threaten those who defend their stacks in this existence."

A nasty smirk caressed those lips as the scathing male voice spoke. "Your ignorance stands in the way of your salvation. You now face eternal damnation. You threatened the one who will bring salvation to the remnants of this crumbling dream."

The previously calm eyes of Heng-Huo grew enraged. "Who are you to say such things?"

"As I once told Tenkou… I'm your worst nightmare."

A collective gasp emerged from those in the vicinity. The name of Tenkou was known in all the nations of this world, and most people had a proper sense of fear with that name. The fear of Tenkou was the single factor that would unit all the kingdoms in the battle to save the gods.

Katsui's eyes narrowed. "How so?"

"Tenkou has permeated the boundaries that divide the two worlds and I remain the only Seishi he cannot hurt or kill. Even those who resist him are still vulnerable. I slipped under his radar; I evaded him and I am the only Seishi who knows how to get around him without being detected. The rest fear him, even those who work for him."

"Seishi work for Tenkou?" Katsui exclaimed incredulously. "But… we've always served our gods!"

"Not the Seiryuu Seishi. When the Suzaku Seishi were getting help from Taiitsu-kun, Nakago called upon Tenkou to aid us in our fight… you see, not everyone feared Tenkou. The Hin worshipped the devil itself. Their devotion allowed for the devil to live and strengthen. Now your emperor stands in the way of progress. He has threatened the one source of salvation for your pitiful country."

"Well… he wouldn't have to if… if…"

"If what? You can't think of anything to defend him, can you?"

Katsui bristled indignantly. "Well… uh… you could have disarmed Meike instead of threatening Heng-Huo-sama!" He spat out, to which he was laughed at derisively.

"Or you could have grown a pair and come to her defence since you seem to believe that my sister is Nyosei no Miko."

Katsui turned a deep shade of crimson red and muttered something under his breath.

Ariboshi briefly raised her eyes. "Heika-sama, the foreign Seishi is right though. We stand on the brink of salvation, risking losing out to the Maijin and you're threatening the girl who could easily fall into the hands of Maijin if she believes she is more at risk if she helps Kousei."

Meike sagely rubbed her chin. "Who says I don't want to work for the Maijin if this 'emperor', quote unquote, is going to treat me like this." She smirked; a nasty smirk it was. "Seiryuu no Miko and Suzaku no Miko were treated far better than this."

Her arms were folded over her chest. "So… what do I get out of it if I help your pathetic nation… Heng-Huo?" she demanded snidely. It dawned on her swiftly that she had bargaining power. She wasn't afraid to use it. If her ex-boyfriend Amos had taught her anything it was that being a cheap bastard had its perks.

Sputtering indignantly the emperor exclaimed, "Excuse me? Well… you get the honour of well, serving my kingdom."

"Not good enough." Meike replied curtly.

"What more could you possible want?" the emperor demanded angrily. He didn't like this girl but it was evident that she was the priestess and convincing her was the only way to salvation. His gaze remained steady with hers. He didn't want to show any signs of weakness.

"Meike-sama, the priestess upon summoning the god gets the power of three wishes." Katsui said softly. "Surely that's enough incentive."

"Hardly." She replied coldly. "Why should I do it? How do I know I'm not wasting my time? There is no proof."

The room grew silent, for none of them had ever seen Nyosei. They had only heard the legends.

A figure was watching a mirror, an expression of concern creasing the wrinkles of age and wisdom. Their eyes narrowed in deep contemplation, the hands clasped in front of the lips harshly aged by the sands of time.

The person turned away from the mirror that was home to an infinite fountain of memories, knowledge and wisdom, their white hair flowing gracefully behind them and called out for the helper to come.

"Yes my lord?"

"This new priestess… she isn't the ideal for the position."

"But it is not up to us; the god chooses."

The elderly figure sighed softly. They closed their eyes. "That I am aware of. It is imperative that we find someone who can convince the priestess to fulfil her duties. She is not suited for this even though she meets the requisites of a 'clean spiritual slate'."

"Then what do you propose?" the female asked, throwing her teal hair back.

The elderly figure picked up a strange object not known to this world. "Take this and go to the priestess' world and find someone who Nyosei no Miko must surely trust who can help her in her work here."

Clutching the object the teal-haired girl nodded solemnly. "I will do my best, Taiitsu-kun."

Nodding, Taiitsu-kun watched as Nyan-Nyan, the teal-haired girl open a portal and vanish.

Closing her eyes, she sighed. "Good luck…"

She groaned, feebly swatting at the sunlight streaming into her room. "Go away…" she muttered. Her head throbbed with pain. She didn't know what could have caused it. Then again, as she lay there, she rationalised it as, 'well, if I don't remember what happened last night I guess I must have had a drink or two… damn… uh…'

She sat up. She couldn't think of a person to blame her situation on.

She brought her hands over her eyes. 'Why can't I remember last night? God, my head hurts so much. This… it doesn't feel like a hangover. Why do I feel different? Do I even feel different? This is weird, I feel like I am myself yet… where am I?'

She got up, pulling the covers off herself. She glanced around the room. 'This feels familiar yet… it's not. What's going on?' she whimpered softly, feeling lost.

She glanced over at the bed and gasped. 'What the…? I was sharing a bed with… who?'

She felt a searing pain shoot through her vision.

'_Kill him… he doesn't deserve to live_.' The voice ordered her. It was a cool, controlled male voice. '_He has done nothing for you; he is self-serving and will never amount to anything. He's toxic and if you kill him you can cleanse the blood that runs through your veins_.'

'Kill him? Who is he?' she frowned. She felt like she knew him yet she didn't. She watched him turn over and her gaze turned sour. 'Yes, he must die… he has lived in sin too long.'

Her blue eyes narrowed into thin slits. 'No more. I will not allow you to live any more. You're the only thing that stands between us and victory. Though death would be too good for you.' She thought as she picked up the machete he kept beside the bed.

She gingerly touched the blade. 'The irony of this is you want to die. Pity that I must get blood on my hands when you could just as easily take your own life, of which you're ungrateful.'

She eyed the machete in her hand then placed it down, realising she wasn't dressed. This would prove to be an inconvenience when she went to make her getaway. She quickly cast a cursory glance around the vicinity for her school uniform, which lay in an unceremonious heap on the floor.

'Bloody inconvenient.' She thought as she walked over and pulled on the skirt, fastening the zipper in the back before pulling on her shirt and doing up just a few buttons, leaving her cleavage exposed. She pulled the vest and jacket on. She didn't straighten it; it was good enough for her purposes.

She returned to where she had left the machete, picking it up in her right hand, her fingers wrapping around the elegant handle. She turned to the other who continued to sleep peacefully, unaware of her intentions.

'They say let sleeping dogs lie… let's make it forever. Dead men tell no lies and cannot interfere where they are not wanted.' She glared at him, contempt dancing in her blue eyes. She watched him for a moment. She wanted to pounce at the right moment.

He turned onto his back, his arms above his head.

'How nice; the neck is exposed.' She thought as she twirled the machete in her grip. 'No one has ever managed to strike him down. But… no one has the guts to attack their enemy while he sleeps. He is at his weakest now.'

She appeared to hesitate despite what she thought. The tip of the blade hovered over his neck.

'…and…and…' her hands shook as she held the blade. She knew what she wanted to do yet she was not putting the intent into action.

'No! No more stalling!' she lifted the blade and swung it. At precisely the moment of would-be impact, he turned over, the blade cutting diagonally across his face, narrowly missing his right eye.

She fell back, staggering as a shorter figure landed in front of her.

Meanwhile, her target had emitted an anguished scream, falling out of bed, landing on the floor, blood trickling out of the wound onto the carpet. He faced the ground, breathing hard. He could see nothing; the blood from the wound streamed into the vision of his right eye. The gash was long and deep, from the forehead, across the bridge of the nose and intercepting the old scar on his left cheek.

From his left eye, he saw the hem of the pants of the shorter girl.

He saw nothing else.

The second girl turned to the first, pulling out a long sword. "Begone servant of Tenkou!" she cried, pointing it at the blond.

Knowing that she would be cornered if she didn't react quickly, Yui disposed of the machete, tossing it into the corner and reached over, grabbed her shoes from the floor, and not bothering to put the shoes on, opened the window, fled to the balcony and flung herself off, fleeing into the early dawn.

Snorting derisively, the second girl, with long teal hair turned to Shannon.

"Suboshi…" she knelt so she would be at his eye level. She took his face in one of her tiny hands and with the other, the palm facing him channelled warm chi his way. The chi gingerly sewed the wound shut after clotting the wound. She lowered her hand. Her magic was good enough to eliminate pain and repair the damage but it left a scar.

She remained knelt in front of him as he sat back, blinking. She watched as he raised a hand to his face.

"What the hell? What happened?" He whispered bewildered; his voice was groggy.

Nyan-Nyan leaned in. "You were attacked in your sleep, Suboshi."

He blinked dumbly at the girl. "Uh-huh… great…" He watched her for a minute. "And… you are?"

"Nyan-Nyan!" she replied quite happily, flashing him a glowing smile. "Taiitsukun sent me. She thinks either you or Amiboshi need to talk to Nyosei no Miko; she isn't accepting the position and…." Nyan-Nyan's face grew dark. "…and the lights are slowly going out in all the countries as Tenkou's tainted touch reaches out and extinguishes the lights that guide the nations. Kutou will fall now. The capital is dark.

"People have fled. Some haven't though. But there is much suffering."

She paused then added, "The only country that has its capital still is Konan. It hasn't fallen because Suzaku no Miko is standing strong. She is still standing strong. Byakko and Genbu no Miko were extinguished with a Spirit Blade. They're spirits have been erased so they are no longer able to provide the light."

"And of Seiryuu no Miko?" He asked his tone weary.

Nyan-Nyan sighed softly. She twirled a strand of teal hair around her finger as she glanced around. Her eyes suddenly narrowed and she stood up quickly. "That portal! How long has that portal been there?" she pointed out to the balcony off Shannon's room.

"No changing the fucking subject!" he growled. He turned his sights to the portal and shrugged. "It normally appears for a short while at night. This is the first time I've seen it during day light. It's been appearing for the last two days. We put up a blinder so it looks black on this side, since we don't know what will come out of it…"

"You're distrusting a portal sent by Seiryuu?"

"There are voices I that we can't make out on the other side, and we don't know how to close it."

Nyan-Nyan nodded and wandered over to the door way upon hearing someone announce they had just walked in. She glanced back at Shannon. "Is that Amiboshi?"

He shrugged. "Probably. He always goes out to buy his breakfast, even though I make a perfectly good one." He bragged.

Nyan-Nyan's eyes lit up. "You cook?" She inquired, her voice not masking her enthusiasm.

He shrugged and picked up his jeans off the floor and put them on. He ran his fingers through his tangled hair, ignoring the shirt on the floor. He went out into the hall, and then turned back, "Nyan-Nyan, going to come?"

She smiled then slyly asked, "Before I have to go back with one of you, can I take a look around? Taiitsukun didn't let us stay around last time…"

"I don't know… it's your choice." He yawned as he walked out to the living room.

Jonathan glanced up from his still wrapped breakfast. "Hey, you've got some kind of pixie or faerie following you. Where'd you find that thing?"

"It found me." Shannon replied derisively. "All I know, is I got attacked and next thing I know, this thing from Taiitsu-kun shows up."

"That thing? I was expecting a little more... if I was expecting anything at all. What're we supposed to do with that pip squeak?" Jonathan asked, biting into the breakfast sandwich he bought.

"Why didn't you wait for me to make breakfast?"

"I hate your breakfast. Ick... you never make anything other than that English breakfast. I'm so sick of that fried shit."

"It's better than that deep fried shit you're eating."

Nyan-Nyan walked over and eyed the sandwich Jonathan was half-finished at this point. "That's food? Looks nothing like food."

"No one asked you. And who are you anyway?"

"Nyan-Nyan! Sent on special request by Taiitsukun. She needs one of you two to go and convince Meike to become the Miko. She is being difficult, and the possession bit isn't working."

"And what are we supposed to do about it? Meike is avowedly Atheist. She doesn't buy that tripe. Not that I blame her. After being reincarnated, I can see why she doesn't believe it. There were four gods there, now there's how many here...?"

"There's just one. The rest are false beings, meant to lead their naive followers astray." Shannon interjected coldly. "Our Lord is the only God."

Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Even if I believe it, I'm not going to act like I'm a person who's one god shy of being an Atheist, which is what you are."

"What do you mean?" Nyan-Nyan was perplexed.

"Some people just don't believe in any kind of God, while others believe there is just the one, while others are into the whole pagan worship..."

"Heathens!"

Ignoring the unconstructive input, Jonathan added, "So, she probably doesn't believe it would work. There would have to be a way to convince her."

"Which is why Taiitsukun wants you to go there."

"Who...?"

"Either one of you two."

"I'll go. Shannon will just be a peckerhead about the whole God thing." Jonathan volunteered, knowing full well what came next.

"But Nyosei is just a fledgling god; a two-bit wannabe. Like Seiryuu and the others. They are not the true God; they are not our Lord and Saviour."

"Case and point. For that reason, I'll go."

"Great! You can use the portal in the room." Nyan-Nyan replied and walked for the front door. "In the mean time, I'm going to take a look around and make sure that... nothing is out of place here." She smiled mischievously. She giggled, and added, "That and take a quick look around..."

Before the two could stop her, she made a beeline for the door and vanished.

Jonathan sighed. "Oh great... so I got to venture there... Oh well." He finished off his breakfast and crumpled up the wrapper.

Shannon immediately blocked the entrance to the hall, despite that less than a nanosecond ago; he had been further away from, the way into the hall.

"Uh...weren't you...just?"

"Oh I was now was I?" He seemed to know something. He shrugged. He had been able to always move fast but after the attack on him that morning, he had decided to allow that which lay innate within him to awaken. He let it pulse through his blood. The rush was incredible. He stared down Jonathan.

"You are staying here. I'm going."

"What the hell has got into you...and for that matter... what happened to your face?"

"Oh now you notice the scar?"

"Yeah... you know the new one... the one that wasn't there before... duh!" He stood back and asked, "How the hell...?"

"I don't know... I got attacked..."

"But why didn't...?"

"You didn't feel it?"

"I felt a twinge... I... I felt something on my face, but it's raining out. I felt something sharp but..." He paused then pressed, "Who attacked you?"

"Nyan-Nyan wouldn't say. And once I realised what happened, Yui was also gone. She had been sleeping with."

Jonathan bristled involuntarily. He still felt jealous. He didn't want to but he couldn't help it. He wanted to be nice to her but still felt an urge to hate her despite being moderately attracted to her. He was torn.

He opened his mouth but closed it again, a thought crossing his mind. 'She wasn't there...?'

"Did you notice anything strange? Did anything of hers get left behind?"

"Good question..."

'If nothing did, then... I think I know what happened.' He rationalised but didn't want to say anything. He walked forward but froze, gawking as he saw his brother vanish into thin air. 'He vanished...?? He vanished into thin air? What the hell is going on?' He ran down the hall, and through the door, his expression incredulous.

"Uh... but... how...? You can't teleport!" Was all he could manage, in the face of what he was seeing.

Shannon evasively lifted his shoulders, and glanced around. "You're telling me I can't? I just haven't bothered with it. I usually just mask it by moving fast. I have been able to do this... for a while. It's handy though it comes with its repercussions; of course in combat it's great because I don't need to use chi."

"But...but... how? How can you...and for that matter, why did you hide it from me?"

"Because if you knew the truth about it, I'd have to share this with you and... I don't want to damn your soul to the dark side. It's bad enough I'm damned, I didn't want you to be."

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't want it... no, not this. It would cost you your very soul. I'm not doing it!"

"Do you think I care? I'm already hell bound anyway. I'm already a sinner in the eyes of God, what the hell difference would more little fucking sin make anyway?"

"But... Salvation... the Lord's saving grace... uh... you'd only go to..."

"I don't fucking care about salvation. If I have to, I will sin my way into hell just so I don't get separated from you. Now tell me what the hell is going on!" Jonathan forcefully insisted, his eyes narrow.

"If I tell you then I have to do more because you're not going to be satisfied with just an answer." Shannon retorted angrily, turning his back to his brother. "You don't understand, I don't want to tell you nor do I think you should know..."

"You can't hide it forever... I can read you like a book."

"Sure I can. I've kept it from you this long."

"But it's manifesting. So tell me so I can help you!"

"It can't be helped! I'm stuck like this, and I'm not going to drag you to the dark side. I may not be... I... I... well, I may not be well, uhm... normal but... I'm not letting you become twisted. No, you're not..."

"I don't care! How many times do I have to tell you... I don't give a rat's ass!"

"Can't we deal with this later? Nyan-Nyan gave us a task..."

"Stop changing the topic!"

"You're the one going off on a tangent. Now grab a bag and take the few items you'll need. I'm doing the same. We're going through that portal in five minutes..." Shannon glanced down at what he was wearing. "And maybe we'll try and find something that is... subtle."

Jonathan shrugged. "You maybe... I don't know if being topless will help."

Shannon's eyes narrowed. "You're wearing... violet! You're going to stick out like a sore thumb. That shirt is way too tight, those jeans as well, and you're wearing those sandals? I don't care if you're gay, just don't dress like it!"

"I'm wearing this." He gestured down. His shirt was a bright violet, with only two buttons done up. Like his brother, he wore a silver cross around his neck.

Growling and muttering something incoherent, Shannon grabbed a few items, threw them into the bag, and off the floor picked up and put on a pair of loose fitting blue jeans and a plain white button up shirt, over which he put a Kevlar vest on, and over that a plain black vest.

Jonathan, who had his bag ready quickly walked back in, and rolled his eyes. "You're complaining about what I want to wear and you're wearing fucking Nazi-boots and Kevlar?"

"At least I don't look like some weak-kneed Molly."

"Shut-up. I am comfortable like this."

Snorting derisively, Shannon opened the balcony door and walked to the portal, stepping into it, Jonathan following on his heels.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

_In the ruins of Sanun-shou, Tenryou-shi, Kutou_

She had escaped off the balcony but hadn't got far when she had noticed the azure blue portal. Rather than running from it, she had returned and quickly entered it, figuring it was the quickest way to cover her tracks. She didn't need to be found easily. Of course, she hadn't been expecting to appear in the ruins of a village.

She glanced around, as she sat on the ground, putting her shoes on. Her school bag sat beside her on the ground as she looked around, wondering what had once been here. Then, out of the corner of her eye she spotted what appeared to be a small shrine. Standing up, she wandered over to the shrine.

AS she approached it, it became obvious it was a shrine dedicated to Seiryuu.

She glanced at the based, upon which there was an inscription written in ancient Chinese. She could read it but not very well. She had only the moonlight by which to read the message.

_On this spot, two young Seishi once stood, amongst the ruins of their village. The intertwined dragons, while in the appearance of Seiryuu represent his two Seishi, who rose from the ashes of war to come and serve Kutou, alongside the other seishi, even when all was lost. This shrine is the first raised following the civil war, and is dedicated to the one who gave his life needlessly for Seiryuu no Miko who will pay for her sins against Kutou. Bu Koutoku_

She blinked. It was an odd inscription, but touching nonetheless. She couldn't picture which two it referred to. She then re-read it and bristled at the reference to her. 'Who would think such things? I did my job as Miko! Why is that even on there?'

Her eyes trailed to the name written at the end. 'Bu Koutoku... who is that? Obviously... the person who wrote it. But why the vendetta?'

A branch snapped.

She turned. "Who's there?"

"Daa... sorry to disturb you..." the figure emerged and smiled at her, through what appeared to be a mask. He then removed it, and sombrely added, "...but you're a long way from home, aren't you, Seiryuu no Miko?"

She grew defensive. 'Not one of mine. Too bad, if it was O'Kelly, I could run his through. It was just a mild set back this morning...' She cleared her throat. "No... I just happened to come here in order to get away before I was caught."

"You still are. After all... why Sanun-shou of all places... unless... no da..."

"Unless what?" she prompted.

The old man with the mask gestured up the hill. "You're here to pay your respects, no da. I'm sure you must know of this."

"What's going on here?" Yui asked. She couldn't understand it, but the old man looked very familiar. "Hold on... who are you?"

"Houjun." He replied simply, with a flick of his kasa. He smiled and twirled the mask in his hand, and pushed his long white bangs out of his face, revealing a hideous scar over his left eye.

She peered closely. "Aren't you Chichiri though?"

"I was when Miaka-chan was here. But no more, I'm simply just Houjun. Like my friend Koutoku, I am just a simple monk now. I am here because his sanctuary is one of the few places I feel safe, no da... now that the lights have gone out. Now that there are only a few left untainted."

Her eyes flashed angrily. 'That name... the one on the message!' She thought angrily. "Koutoku... who is he?"

Houjun was about to reply but noted the flash in her eyes. 'What's happening? Why does she appear to have resentment toward that name? It's not like she knows who it is... if she did...would she...'

"I asked... who is he? His name appears on that small shrine to Seiryuu! Who is he and how does he know me? Why swear revenge against me? I... I never killed any of my Seishi..." her expression darkened and her lips twisted into nasty smirk. "At least yet..."

'Daa... that can't be good. She appears to want to kill someone. I can't have her know that Koutoku is Amiboshi...there is something of her mannerisms that tells me that, no da.' his gazed moved to the side. 'And likewise, I can't let him find out that this is the girl.'

"What do you mean by that, no da?"

"Oh, never mind. It doesn't involve you. Besides, it doesn't apply here. Given that he's dead according to this world, there is no reason to worry about it. If he does show up... I hope you won't mind cleaning up his worthless corpse."

"Daa...? Who?" Houjun asked. He felt slightly uneasy. He hadn't felt that queasy feeling since the last time he made a stop to visit Genrou. The Miko was definitely different than before. She was acting like this, freely; of her own accord. He could tell that much. Or so he thought.

She paused then asked. "It's a reincarnation."

"Daa?" he raised both eyebrows.

"All the Seishi were reincarnated except those of Meike, who has yet to know that she is preordained to die because she is pushed into the position as Miko despite being set up by Tenkou to fail... he's planted his Maijin in this world."

Houjun's eyes widened. "How do you know?"

"Anderson is a moron, and spoke too freely. I don't know what he wanted when he tried to slip the kodoku into my drink, though I can safely say that he was right about one thing. But there isn't much else that he is right about."

"Kodoku? How does someone in your world have access to it?"

"He works for Tenkou. Willingly of course. As a stupid, gullible American, lusting for power. Proving one thing... Power will turn even the most common of men into the evilest. Of which Tenkou is. Nothing more than a man drunk on power."

Houjun's expression grew sombre. "And you know this because of what is happening in your world?"

"Precisely. O'Kelly isn't the only one who can illicit information through subvert and covert activities."

"Who...?"

"Suboshi..." she then added under her breath, "worthless."

"He wasn't the strongest, but... da..."

"He was the good one. Not his reincarnation; that worthless waste of a human life. He is not the true embodiment. He is nothing more than a simple mirror image." Her eyes narrowed. "Seiryuu doesn't give a damn, no, not like Suzaku who returned Tamahome to Miaka in one piece. Even sans the memories, he was the whole embodiment."

Houjun placed his mask on. "Seiryuu no Miko... I sense a great amount of anger and resentment in your heart. Yet, I can't help but to think that you're not being honest with yourself. To come here... no da... there is something in you that needs to reconnect with your past in order to reconcile what you're feeling." He flipped out his kesa and turned to her. "Come... perhaps tea might be good. The temple is a short walk from here. This is the shortest way, no da."

She gazed sceptically at the kesa then stepped in, emerging at the other side.

Houjun turned, hearing something. He decided to follow in a minute. He wanted to check out the source of the noise first.

He hadn't noticed where he had sent her. If he had...

Yui stepped out on the other side, looking around.

What a strange place she had landed in. It appeared to be a grotto of some kind. There wasn't much light. She could see a candle flickering nearby. That was about it. She thought she heard the sound of trickling water though couldn't be sure.

She hesitantly walked forward. She felt frightened suddenly. A chill shot down her spine.

"Who's there?" she called out, trying to not sound timid.

"I could ask you the same thing." The voice retorted angrily.

She glanced in the direction of it, only to see a pair of glowing eyes. She gasped, recoiling. "Who are you?"

"To which I return the question." The person replied, walking over. He held a candle in his hand.

As he drew closer, his features became clear.

Her heart dropped. All coloured drained from her face. It had to be impossible. It had been a hundred years since she and Miaka had last appeared in this world. How could someone who was supposed to be a hundred years older not look a day over fifteen years old?

"No... it..." she whispered, horror dancing over her face.

The person sneered at her. "What's the matter, at a loss for words?"

Her heart was racing. She felt it pounding anxiously against her chest. "I...O... no! It's impossible! How are you alive?"

His eyes widened then narrowed as his lips twisted into a nasty smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He took a step closer. "And isn't this perfect? You've fallen so nicely before me. You can now pay with your blood as my brother paid with his."

"You..."

"Not much for words, are you, Seiryuu no Miko?" he sneered as he threw aside the candle he held. The flame immediately went out as the candle hit a small koi pond nearby. Darkness surrounded them.

He drew out his flute.

She could see nothing other than the single flickering flame in the background.

She backed away. She was terrified. If only for the simple reason that she had been caught off guard.

All she saw was the glint of the flute. A piercing sound filled the small grotto. She didn't know what to do as she pulled back, trying to block out the horrific noise. She covered her ears, though the effort in vain. Was there no way to stop this? Even with her eyes and ears shut off to the world, she could hear that horrible noise penetrating her brain. The piercing melody viciously tore at her soul.

'You want to die now, don't you, Seiryuu no Miko? It must hurt. Too bad you didn't consider that you would hurt my brother when you sent him to his death. You will feel my pain. I can draw this out as long as I want. You will never forget my pain. You will suffer. That suffering will never end... it will only end with death. But death is too good for you.' Koutoku thought angrily.

He felt no remorse for his actions. His attack was focused and he threw the weight of his chi behind it. He had grown twisted over the years, his soul yearning for that taste of revenge.

A red light crackled behind her. The small ball of red chi went blasting past and caught Koutoku in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Yui didn't have much time to process what had just happened before she felt her wrist being grabbed. She immediately found herself in tow behind Houjun who ran for the door, and then teleported away with her, landing outside of the large temple.

He appeared alert. He could detect the anger in the other's chi.

He turned to Yui. "Daa... Sorry! I didn't realise where I had sent you."

She turned to him and angrily snarled. "You knew all along about that!"

The mask Houjun wore fell from his face. "I am truly sorry." It fluttered to the ground as tears fell from his good eye. "I only wanted to help, no da. I didn't want to see any more suffering."

A nearby branch snapped.

"FUCK!"

A person fell to the ground.

Houjun immediately stepped in front of Yui, holding up his staff. He pushed her gently behind a bush. "Who's there, no da!?"

The person stood up and held up his hands. "Sorry! I didn't mean to drop in. I was just trying to see where my brother went. I thought I could use the tree to see, but alas... the branch broke."

Houjun whispered the words to a spell to cause the end of his staff to light up, creating a torch. He arched an eyebrow as the light sprung to life. "Uh...?"

The person smiled brightly. "Hey! Chichiri!"

Houjun made a strange noise. This looked like someone he knew but the person was dressed oddly and was unusually perky. "Hi...?"

Jonathan grinned stupidly and walked over. "I didn't mean to scare you there."

'No way... this can't be...' Houjun stared at the other incredulously. "You... you're...?"

"Oh right! I'm supposed to be dead according to this world? Here, let's simplify this. I was reincarnated in the other world, which by the way is totally better than this, and somehow Tenkou has managed to come and mung everything up, so now I'm back here, with my brother and we have to go convince our moron of a sister to become Nyosei no Miko. Which will be impossible because she doesn't believe in this junk." Jonathan blurted out then sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe I should back track?"

Houjun nodded then smiled, feeling slightly more at ease. "Perhaps it would be good for both of us."

"As I said... everyone of us Seishi were reincarnated."

"So, you are...?"

"Jonathan Anderson. Though I suppose I'm better known as Amiboshi. I bet it's a shock seeing me. Especially since I died when I was fifteen, or rather I killed myself after I buried my brother back in this village..." his expression grew saddened. "After his body was returned to this world."

"You...died, no da?" Houjun didn't understand that. He knew otherwise and found it strange. He had never asked Koutoku about that.

"Suicide as it were. Though my brother doesn't know that." Jonathan admitted quietly, staring at the ground.

'Should I tell him?' Houjun wondered. He could. OR he could let the reincarnated Amiboshi learn the hard way.

"Can't I take a fucking piss behind a bush without losing sight of you, asshole?"

Jonathan rolled his eyes. "You should have told me!"

"I don't need to tell you about every fucking goddamn fucking time I take a fucking piss in the fucking bush!" the person growled, walking up from behind and punching Jonathan in the shoulder.

"Well, if you left your chi so I can track you, we wouldn't have this problem."

Shannon snorted. "I don't need a fucking babysitter."

Houjun could see the other clearly now. "You were reincarnated too, no da?"

"Who invited the witless morons to this little party?" the older of the two brothers remarked.

"Actually, I kind of accidentally dropped in..." Jonathan awkwardly admitted.

"Figures."

"No introduction, no da?" Houjun asked, wanting to prevent more unnecessary banter.

"What? Can't you figure it out, or has senility kicked in?"

"You're such an asshole!"

Shrugging, Shannon grunted. He wasn't going to play nice. But he quickly changed his mind after receiving a jab in the ribs. Sighing, he reluctantly introduced himself. "I'm Shannon. Though I supposed you would know me as Suboshi... though I hate going by that name."

"Was it so hard to be nice?"

"Yes! I died a little inside."

Houjun laughed uneasily. He didn't quite know what to think of these two. They were clearly in appearance the same as their previous incarnations, though they acted differently. He decided to see if they were the same as before. He could tell one thing immediately, their memories weren't broken as he would have expected.

A scream pierced through the forest. It was a girl's scream.

"Get out of the way!" Houjun ordered. He didn't know if either of the two could fight. He ran in the direction of the scream.

"What the...?" Jonathan was confused.

His brother wasn't and ran forward with Houjun. He could feel it, even if Jonathan couldn't.

Following Houjun closely, Shannon came to a sudden stop, nearly knocking over the elderly Suzaku Seishi. In front of them were two people. One was being held hostage. The person was tied up with glowing blue chains.

He could feel something in the air. His eyes narrowed. "He's a kyuuketsuki!"

Houjun found himself again surprised. He knew something had been strange but never questioned it. He looked to the Seishi he was with. "How do you know?"

Shannon smirked. "I can smell my kin a mile away."

"Ooooo... I have kin present!" Koutoku purred as he floated above his hostage. "How nice that I have company. Perhaps you would like to help me finish off this job?"

Only a blue aura glowed around him.

'Damnit, I can't see well!' Houjun cursed. He wanted to use a light but wasn't sure if he should.

Koutoku taunted the two, not realising just who the other was.

Feeling enraged, the reincarnated Seishi present, suddenly vanished into thin air and reappeared behind Koutoku. "Surprise!" He then kicked Koutoku down to the ground, who handed with a grunt. He jumped down and landed, poised to strike.

'He was reincarnated with the kyuuketsuki traits...?' Houjun wondered as he quietly moved to take Yui out of the way of the two furious combatants. He sighed and shielded her from seeing the bloodshed.

The two were squaring off.

A low hiss resonated from the bigger one. "You have no business with the girl. She never attacked you. She's mine and I'll settle the score I have with her my way. You will lay off. She's my prey, and you will stay back!"

The one known as Amiboshi laughed mockingly. "And who are you exactly? Why should I care? You're just a mere kin who can't stand up in combat against me?"

"Oh really? Your best weapon versus mine."

'Why do I suddenly feel ill, no da?' Houjun wondered.

Yui pressed herself against Houjun, seeking comfort. She didn't understand why there was another person who suddenly wanted to kill her. She knew that the first one did, but not the second one.

Houjun gasped, he could see Koutoku's hand caressing the exterior of the flute rested in the belt. 'He's going to use it! What's the other going to do? This won't be a battle with flutes will it?'

He turned to Yui. "cover your ears and close your eyes, no da." He whispered.

She complied, while Houjun kept a watch.

It was obvious that Koutoku was drawing out the flute. The other was unfazed.

"Go on, serenade me to death. Not that you can."

"We can avoid this if you step aside and give me the girl."

"I don't have the girl! I never saw the girl! Though I can smell her from here. She is my prey! Got that?"

"No, it's you that doesn't understand. You're a mere kyuuketsuki..." Koutoku smirked and raised the flute.

At this moment, something began to hum behind the other. "Oh really? Is that what you think? I didn't imagine that you would have become such a twisted creature of the night. And my brother wonders why I won't let him in on this. I hate it. I hate myself; I'm a bloody demon. And you, you're no different. Go on, serenade me to death if you think you can."

He pulled out the gun from his ankle holster and cocked it. "I could reveal my chi but then this wouldn't be fun would it? I would rather mind fuck you, Kaika."

"Don't call me that!" Koutoku spat angrily and raised his flute. Without warning he began to play the melody of choice; the melody suitable for the torment of one's enemies.

Houjun winced and pulled back.

But the other one present, the reincarnated Suboshi didn't. He merely snickered. "You call that a death serenade? What a waste." He raised a hand. "Allow me to jog your memory..." His weapon appeared around him.

Noticing it, Koutoku immediately lowered his flute. A flicker of recognition danced across his face and he asked. "Why? Why are you defending that girl?" Tears fell down his face. "Why are you defending her, Shunkaku?" The flute fell out of his hand, as he walked over.

"Why are you trying to kill her? You have no motive. And, I'm not Shunkaku..."

Houjun was watching the two, and consequently failed to keep an eye on Yui who decided to make a get-away into the forest darkened by what could have been taken to be night.

She fled the scene and ran, not knowing where she was, but she didn't want to be around to face the consequences. She had to gather her thoughts and figure out a way to finally achieve her means. She hadn't intended to come here; the portal just seemed convenient at the time.

She didn't get far before she ran into someone else.

She fell back, landing on her ass.

"This forest is big enough. Yet you still manage to run into me." The person hissed, turning around.

"Excuse me but it's dark here!" she retorted.

"Oh fuck... you're here?" Jonathan groused as he turned to glare at her.

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh as if it's bad enough there's one of you, now there's two of you."

"So you've seen Shannon..."

"And the other one. Whatever your name was then."

"But... what... huh? Wait, what the..? Eh? Uh... huh? What are you... what do you mean?"

"Don't play stupid with me, Koutoku. You've had it in for me either way." She stood up, facing Jonathan. She wasn't armed but she confidently knew he wasn't either. He wasn't the type to arm himself to the teeth.

"How the hell do you know what name?"

"I'm just damn smart is all."

"Horse shit! Then what's my brother's name?"

She shrugged and walked away. She had no need to deal with him.

Jonathan scowled and followed.

She walked in the direction of the village ruins, eventually stopping before the shrine.

She silently cursed to herself as she approached it. She wished she hadn't used that portal, but then again, she hadn't counted on being followed, or encountering any Seishi in this world that were hers or Miaka's.

As she entered, she glanced around. The sun was rising somewhere in the distance.

Behind her, Houjun appeared.

"Sorry about that!" Houjun replied, stepping directly into Jonathan's path.

He turned and faced him. He removed the mask. "Why are you following her, no da?"

"She ran into me!" he whined and folded his arms. "This is what happens when I get left behind."

"Here, just for you... the world's tiniest violin." Yui sneered as she mimicked the action of playing a tiny violin.

"You bitch!"

"Is that the best you can do?"

"I could do worse."

"You want what army? You're pathetic without your brother to hide behind."

"uh... da? Maybe we..." Houjun stepped between the two, pushing them apart. "I don't think this is a good idea, no da. In fact... da..."He trailed off and glanced up. "It's happening... again."

"What is?" Jonathan glanced up.

"The sun rises but darkness never truly recedes. Darkness has fallen. Tenkou has taken control. Only one light shines over Kutou still. But is not strong enough to stand on its own."

Jonathan arched an eyebrow. "Only one light?"

Yui too was curious and briefly forgot that she was arguing with him.

"Yes, no da. All other seven went out. The only light that remains is strong but it needs support. I fear it will fade but it hasn't happened. I've seen it flicker brightly at night, no da. In all the skies, there are constellations that have faded and the same thing is happening. The only sky free of it is that of Nyosei though it is threatened.

"The central point is still controlled by Taiitsukun but that power is fading. When all the others fall, it falls as well. Each sky is clinging by a thread. Even in death a spirit can deviate and that constellation will fade."

Yui didn't understand that stream of logic. "But if it's daylight how is darkness around?"

"The sun may have risen but the sky has tones of darkness. Perpetual twilight, no da."

It was true, the sun showed signs of coming up, but the sky remained between night and day.

"How can one tell if darkness has fallen?"

Houjun took out a small object from his kesa. It appeared to be a small crystal sphere. He placed it on the staff he carried and tapped it with his finger. "Taiitsukun gave me this a while ago. It detects darkness. IT can also read the depths of a soul, no da."

He turned it to Jonathan then Yui.

"Seiryuu no Miko, you have been touched by it. Though, neither willingly nor unwillingly. It's strange, no da. But, you have become neutral." Houjun turned to Jonathan. His expression grew perplexed. "It's odd, your readings, no da, betray no darkness. I didn't think it was possible but..."

"But?"

"Your constellation was consumed with darkness anyway."

"How is that even possible?"

"You never died."

"Pesky bugger." Yui muttered.

"What was that?" Jonathan hissed.

Houjun kept the two apart and ignoring Yui, continued, "You see, no da... there are three of us alive still. Besides me, there's Genrou, or Tasuki and then there's you." He pointed at Jonathan. "Your incarnation lives still but unlike myself, Genrou and all others, with two exceptions, haven't aged a single day over your prime."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Houjun's mask fell off. "It means your incarnation is immortal. Only two others, and possibly a third though I am not sure of that, share this trait. One was Miboshi, the other Iname. Miboshi had dark magic. Iname was a Cursed Kin; a created Kyuuketsuki, not a Natural Kin."

"And... me?" Jonathan was almost too afraid to ask.

"A Cursed Kin as well, no da."


	41. Side Story, Part 1

**A/N**: This chapter and the next one make up a two-part side story that takes place before the time line for Threads of Fate. This was supposed to be inserted back near the start but I hadn't named the files correctly so as a result I had forgotten about these two parts. So, rather than trying to insert them at the beginning of the story, I'm putting them in here so you can have a nice break from the main story.

Chapter 41 is in the works and will be uploaded some time soon.

* * *

**Side story, Part 1  
**

_And in the wake of his mistake  
So many lives are broken  
Gone forever from a loaded bullet  
And no excuse that you could use  
Could pull somebody through it  
And to this day so many say  
"God why'd you let him do it?"_

(_Side of a Bullet_, All the Right Reasons, Nickelback)

**27 odd years ago**…

_Somewhere in a ditch in the outskirts of West Berlin_…

The night sky above where he lay, facing up, his eyes close, his head lopsided, his body, twisted, lay unceremoniously just feet from the motorcycle that had gone off the road, was clouded over. The night sky was dimmed by the floating clouds above. The faint light of the moon shone through a distant cloud.

Images raced before his unconscious mind as he laid there, his body slowly shutting itself down. It would have to be a voluntary reflex for him to pull himself back from the point of no return. No one would find him. His body was buried in long brush and an intricate tangle of weeds. His motorcycle was also buried, though the tip of the handle bar stuck out, but would go unnoticed unless someone was looking for it.

The clouds above had been softly drifting by, aided by a gentle breeze, until moments ago when a gust of wind picked up and a trickle of water fell from the sky in rapid small droplets.

His nose twitched, and he moaned.

The cold water coming down from the sky was sobering in a strange way.

But even then, he didn't open his eyes; until the strong light of the dawning of day. In the distant horizon, the sun cracked through the dark of the night in a bright array of deep rich pastel and autumn colours splashed across the sky. The dark colours slowly brightened as the sun approached the brink of the horizon.

The dew of morning seeped through, sending shivers through his body; something the cold rain throughout the night hadn't done.

He groaned softly, his hand moving to his head, as he slowly opened his eyes, his sights focusing on the sky above him. His vision was blurry. The veins in his temples pounded and he instinctively closed his eyes blocking out the intrusive light.

'Ow… what the fuck happened last night?' he wondered, as he lay there, not wanting to move. Every inch of his body throbbed with searing pain. At least he still had feeling throughout his body.

It took him thirty minutes of lying around, pondering the previous night's events to eventually garner the strength to sit up and gaze around at his surroundings, to which his conclusion was, 'that must've been a hell of a night… I blank out and wind up in a ditch! Fuck, what the hell is wrong with me?'

He sighed and gazed around; his deep blue eyes settling on the rising sun in the distance. 'The rising sun, the dawn of a new day…'

He brought a knee to his chest. 'And here I am, sitting in a ditch, hung over and I don't even remember how…'

He paused and moaned loudly in his hands that he covered his face with. 'Now I remember… I was out with her again. They warned me she was toxic. The tried to tell me, but…but why didn't I listen?' He sobbed softly.

'I was a good kid and now this is how life repays me for this; it throws me in a ditch to forget about me!'

'No…' his conscience piped up. 'You were good until you left home and came to Berlin to study Liberal Arts. It was there you lost your innocence… But you can still redeem yourself. Start by getting out of this ditch and going to confession!'

'No!' he retorted. 'I'll do one better than that! I'm going to fake myself and escape this life! I'll start over new. The dawn is the sign of a new day and I'll use it to end myself as Kieran Tracey…and find my new self…'

'That isn't a wise idea!'

'Why don't you shut up until I've taken about a dozen aspirin tablets and taken confession before you start again with the nagging?'

'No, I prefer to kick you while you're down.'

'For a conscience, you're a hell of an asshole…'

'Well, look who my assignment is…'

Kieran paused. 'Touché…' he replied meekly. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I think I hear the sound of church bells.'

'No, that's just the dull ringing of a hangover buzzing in your head…' his conscience remarked snidely.

'Didn't I tell you to fuck off?'

'Didn't your mother teach it isn't nice to swear?'

'Didn't your mother teach you not to nag people?'

'I'm a conscience; it's my job to nag people!'

Opting to ignore his conscience until he could speak to a father, Kieran managed to crawl up to the road and onto his feet. He wobbled on his feet for a moment, as he struggled to retain his balance.

Shaking his head, he reaching with shaking hands, feeling around in his leather jacket until he found the butt of his gun sticking out of the holster on his shoulder; he drew it. He aimed it; his right eye shut; his left eye focusing. He was left handed.

He fired thrice before he managed to successively blow up his motorcycle by hitting the gas tank.

He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and threw it into the area.

'That way they'll truly think that I'm dead and I can get away with making a new life for myself, and escaping the deathly clutches of… Aleit…' he shuddered at the thought of his now ex-girlfriend's name.

He turned his back to the smouldering remains of his motorcycle; or at least what was left of it after the dramatic explosion.

'I doubt they'll find anything to prove beyond a doubt that I'm alive…' he mused to himself, as he wandered down the street, in something of a daze.

In the midst of his daze, he nearly missed the Cathedral, though luckily the soft heavenly melodic lure of the choir drew him instinctively into the embrace of the Lord he put his heart and utmost faith into.

Running his fingers through his ruffled hair, he approached the alter of candles near the Cathedral's elegantly decorated lobby. It was obvious that the Holy House had been restored since the end of the Second World War; something that couldn't be said for many of the Renaissance and Baroque Cathedrals in East Berlin.

He took the rosary out of his pocket as he stood before it, offering up a quick prayer before he removed what little money he still had on his person and dropping it into the donation tray. He then picked up the match that lay next to the candles and lighting, it, picked a candle, with a wick burnt down deep into the depths of flaking wax.

Sighing, he gingerly twisted the beads in his hand before moving down the side aisle toward the confessionals. He didn't want to go for the pews to do some prayer; he needed to talk to a priest right now and set his life straight again.

Running his fingers through his sweaty hair, he opened the curtain for the confessional and sat down on the wooden bench, his eyes darting sideways to the small hole and he moved the sliding panel aside.

"Hello, Father?"

"Hello my son. What plagues you?"

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned."

"Now my son, I'm not here to judge. God does that; I'm here to help you resolve your inner issues and be free of sin. What do you have to confess?"

"Father, I do not want my life any more. I want to escape this life and make a new one for myself." Kieran paused. "Father, is it wrong to fake my death in order to escape the deeds that I regret and this one woman who will drag me down into the depths of hell itself…"

"Now, you're talking about a very serious thing here, my son. Have you considered the ramifications of your actions?"

"Yes, I do realise that there will be people who will be hurt if I fake my death, but, I cannot shake this girl off my tail. I didn't listen to my friends and now I feel like I'm caught in a strong under tow. She's toxic father; she is the Eve of my life, holding out the apple and is not hesitant in seeing me fall from God's good graces…"

"So, you're saying that this temptress is making you sin?"

"Her siren song is sweet and her appearance is that of the finest of God's creatures, but deep down she has the sole of a she devil and will stop at nothing!" Kieran sobbed softly. "Father, I don't want to wake up in a ditch again hung over. I just want to be a good kid…"

The priest paused; he sighed. "My son, while this goes against all that is good and true; I perhaps can help you, providing that in the eyes of God, you make me a promise."

"Anything, Father…"

"I know a young man in the CIA who could help you, but, once getting you the papers you need, you must inform your family of this, if no one else, that way they don't grief your fake death. They could better accept a change such as this rather than all out death…

"Do you give me your word as a man, my son?"

Kieran sighed softly, toying with the rosary in his hands. "I will…but not yet, Father. I first wish to make my last confession as Kieran Tracey."

"Ok, go on, brother Kieran."

Kieran closed his eyes. "Father, I have indulged in premarital relations, with the girl I'm trying to hide from. She lured me in and tempted me. And… and… I got into a fight last night in a bar before driving my bike intoxicated down the rural route near this Cathedral… and burnt all my identification when I blew up the bike…"

"Well…now…uhm…" the father hesitated for a moment. "Come with me my son. I'll have my young friend come over with the papers for you and after that, I'll help you with absolving your soul of your sins before I allow you to venture out in your reincarnated form."

He mused softly to himself for a moment before adding, "Go on to my office, I'll meet you shortly."

Agreeing Kieran exeunt the confessional and getting directions from a Nun in the vicinity, he headed for the Father's office, and sat, waiting.

About two hours later and half an Old Testament later, Kieran heard the door open and the father entered, followed by a tall, raven haired young man. The young man was attired in military attire.

He removed his hat and held out his hand to Kieran. "Hello, I understand you're seeking…a certain type of papers… ahem…" the young man eyed the area.

"Yes, I am…"

"Perhaps I can be of help…" the agent replied coyly, his gaze moving over Kieran. "I have with me generic papers. I have your birthday, as per what the father instructed and I have assigned your birthplace as being Berlin. Now, all I ask in return is that…"

He passed an envelope over the table. "The instructions are in there along with the paper. I'm sure I'll be able to count on you to come, if not, your kindly donor may rescind his offer…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, instead of paying in the conventional way, as I have no use for the Deutschmark, since the American dollar is worth far more, my superior much prefers that you give us your assistance." The young man replied.

He turned to the priest. "Father, I'd like to speak with him alone on this matter…"

"Uhm, I don't think it's wise…" the priest replied quietly. "I don't want you doing anything that violates the tenants and commandments of the church…"

"I promise Father, this is just something that I need to speak to him alone about…"

Bowing out, the priest conceded and left the two young men together.

Watching the priest leave, Kieran decided that since it was obvious the douche he was facing was an American, it would be practical to speak English rather than German.

"So…?"

"So…? So…"

Kieran fingered the envelope. "And exactly what do I have to do…? And, further, why should I help? I don't even know who you are!"

"Oh, forgive me. I'm Sergeant Thomas Anderson…" the young man replied. He then smirked coyly. "And maybe you ought to introduce yourself…you know, practice. See how the name rolls off the tongue."

Kieran opened the envelope. He arched an eyebrow. The name sucked! It was the worse possible, most boring as hell name! He groaned. "Couldn't you have at least given me a better name?"

"Beggars can't be choosers…" Sergeant Anderson replied snidely.

Glaring at him, Kieran sighed. He liked his Irish name so much better! At least it had character. This name; he shuddered; had zero character! And the first part sounded…so girly!

"My name is… ugh, c'mon, give me a break! This is…I wouldn't even name my worse enemy this!"

"Oh and you might want to drop the Irish accent, my friend. You'll want to opt for a German one…"

Kieran growled softly. He spoke German! There was no need to mask his flawless, though accented English. He wouldn't need to speak English here.

"You're such a sore loser… Can't you just try it once?"

"Fine…: he growled scathingly, mentally noting to hate this guy for the rest of his life. His eyes travelled back down to the paper. "I'm…" he shuddered. "Kai Karl Schwartz… Fuck! Wanker, this is…horrible!"

"Then just call yourself Karl Schwartz. You don't have to use the first name… I was just trying to make it Christian." Sergeant Anderson replied, attempting a wounded tone. "That and…I also took the liberty of changing your major at your school… you're going to be studying… math. It was your minor…"

Kieran, or rather Karl bristled. He hated math and was only taking it because it was the least offensive of the other options available.

He glared scathingly at the other man.

Smiling sweetly – which was extremely scary – Sergeant Anderson added, "That way you can be an accountant and you won't waste your time on the liberal morally bankrupt studies."

Karl groaned and sank back into the chair. 'Note to self: kill this asshole at the first opportunity!'

He continued to cast a menacing glare at the sergeant, who then reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a compass and passed it across the table.

"Here, take this. I'll help you transcend the realms of Lord Tenkou."

Karl hesitantly reached for it. He didn't like where this was going.

"Perhaps I ought to explain…" Sergeant Anderson began. "You see, I may work for the US army, as a CIA agent, but, I don't pledge allegiance to the American flag; I give my utmost allegiance to Lord Tenkou, who according to the prophecy set out five thousand years ago by the Four Gods will rise in glory once all Four Gods have been summoned. The only two that stand in his way are a pair of twins who will be reincarnated from twin Seishi who will have fought under the second last god summoned.

"If they are killed, when Tenkou rises to power, in twenty-seven years…"

"Twenty seven years? That… that seems like an odd time frame." Karl remarked coolly. "In fact, anyone could stop him in that period of time."

"Ah, but no one will because you see, once each god has been summoned, Tenkou will harness their power and knock down that pillar. But, the time frame for the next summoning is far off because they have to happen every one hundred years."

"Our time?"

Sergeant Anderson shook his head. "No, the other world's time; the world from whence Lord Tenkou comes."

Karl glared nastily at the young man. "And I have to go along with this…this sinful tripe?"

"You merely have to help prevent the undoing of the prophecy. For you see, according to it; the twins are to be killed at fourteen years old. And they are yet to be born. If they aren't killed, then when the time comes to summon the goddess, or the fifth of the gods, there will be a conflict because the light goddess will not be extinguished."

Karl's eye twitched. "And how do you plan to track these twins, especially if they haven't been born yet?"

"Tenkou will be able to sense their chi."

"Uh…huh…"

Sergeant Anderson paused then cheekily added, "Though I wouldn't expect you to understand. You're just a stupid Irish Catholic boy seeking to run from your past."

Karl folded his arms. "Well, if you're going to be rude, why should I help?"

"Shall I give you five good reasons?" a soft male voice drawled.

"What the…?" Karl turned, as a figure manifested in the room.

"Firstly… you opened that envelope and that is a binding contract, quite literally. For you see, I placed a bond on it using magic. How? I'm proficient in the use of black magic." He replied simply.

He walked over to where the sergeant stood. "Secondly, if you walk out of this room, I can ruin your reputation in the blink of an eye. After all, black magic is best left to fantasy books, isn't it?"

Karl blinked, unimpressed. "Yeah…yeah, whatever. Crackpot…" he muttered under his breathe.

"What was that?" the man snapped scathingly.

Karl shrugged evasively. "Oh nothing… you must be hearing things…"

The man peered closely over at Karl. "Interesting…"

Arching a perplexed eyebrow, Karl snapped curtly, "and what exactly do you want? It's rude to stare!"

"I don't want anything other than the mere satisfaction of my curiosity." He replied and slyly added, "And you know, the whole fate of the world is written in stone and, now that I see you, I think we can indeed help secure Tenkou's rise to power…"

"And exactly how…?"

"Simple…" the man replied. "You may be the person who helps usher in the reincarnation of the twins…"

"Ok, I've heard enough. I can only take so much bullshit. I've heard less farfetched tripe when I was drunk than I am right now in this damn sober state. I'm out of here." Karl stated boldly as he threw the compass into the floor, which erupted into a small cloud of purple fumes, which while not noxious, reeked havoc on the sensitivities of the nose.

Stepping over to the man, Sergeant Anderson whispered something, which while displeasing the man, placated him, long enough to back down.

"Schwartz, I think you ought to reconsider. After all, you have been in the reverse position all your life; you have been ruled over by the authoritarian English…who are likely no better than Nazis, or Commies. But, that is over… because we have a little secret that will change the balance of power. And you want to be in when that change happens…right?" Sergeant Anderson asked, his gaze steadily resting on Karl.

Snorting derisively, Karl stood up and went for the door. "I don't need any of your sinning bullshit. I have everything I need with my allies in the IRA… even if I have to operate covertly. After all, we have the weapons and the means. Now, it's just a matter of waiting and being patient."

"Bah! Patience is for Buddhist monks and girls."

"Uh, huh…"

Karl blinked and waited for the other two to move aside. He had no use for them. He had what he wanted. There was no need to…

"Oh and just so you know, if you don't cooperate, I can change your file so that it looks like you're from East Germany. After all, what's worse; working for us and only having to answer in once and a while, or having the commies take you like a cheap French whore?" Sergeant Anderson stated simply.

Karl shrugged. "I still have a copy of my original papers and my death certificate hasn't been filled out, so, technically, Kieran Tracey isn't dead, so…"

"It's just a matter of hours now…"

He stopped. 'Kieran was brash; impulsive and never did think about the actions… and now, here I am, with a new life before me, now having shut the door on the last one and how do I start out? By doing the same shit as before!'

Turning around, he faced Sergeant Anderson and before speaking, he added to himself, 'and despite whatever I say, the only person who will ever know the truth is God because he can see into my heart.'

"Ok, I concede. You make a very good point." Karl replied, masking his voice to conceal the truth that he planned to put away with the last of Kieran, never to take out that part of him ever again, or so he thought.

"Wise choice." Sergeant Anderson reached out, shaking the young man's hand.

'I'm so going to regret this…'

That was Karl's haunting thought for the rest of the summer he had off.

He had made his deal with the devil at the end of his last semester, so it made it easier for him to avoid crossing paths with Aleit Vandenberg. She was truly a scary woman who would do anything to make her life easier and the lives of those around her as miserable as possible. She didn't stop at anything; no one was spared, not even those she had supposedly loved.

He knew he had been strung along, which is why he had been looking for a way out. He knew that the convention methods would never work and that her revenge would hit him where it hurt the most and it would leave those that he cared about injured or worse…dead.

He knew that his best friend (also his younger half brother) wouldn't be spared. Aleit had a way of hurting those even far away.

But, it seemed that his best friend hadn't been spared any pain, because the death of his older, half brother hit him and hard. It was a severe loss for him and his mother.

The two were the most frequent people in Karl's thoughts and prayers, even as he entered the last year of his bachelor's.

Of course, the first day wouldn't go well, especially since he felt so lost without being able to talk to his brother first. He had always been close to his brother. The two had always been inseparable.

The only thing that could separate them was death; or at least a faked death.

Karl, fearing for his life and that of his mother and brother, had decided to not inform them of the change. He needed to protect them as much as possible.

He needed to protect them from…

He yelped and dove under his desk in the front row of the lecture hall when he noticed a girl entering the room out of the corner of his eye.

The girl looked like a conservatively dressed Aleit. She wore a below-the-knee skirt. Her blouse was pressed and done up all the way. Her hair was secured in a secure bun and her face was free of any make-up and upon the bridge of her nose rested a pair of oval glasses. They were of the thick variety; the frame was a plain black.

Her hair was the same rich russet that Aleit's had been. He couldn't see the eyes. He did take note of the legs. They were much like that of Aleit; though these ones were covered. His eyes travelled further up. It was no secret that she had an elegant figure; though she wasn't as skinny as Aleit. Aleit could've been described as an anorexic, for she was that thin. This girl had meat to her, but was still slender and of a perfect figure.

He cautiously peered out, only to bang his head on the underside of the desk and curse profusely.

As she walked back, she turned, hearing the litany of curses. She knelt down.

"Oh, I didn't realise that this classroom was were students practiced duck and cover drills." She remarked snidely. Her voice was far softer than Aleit's and there was certain gentleness to it as well.

"Oh and since the only seat left is next to you; I'll thank you not to swear. It's quite rude and is improper behaviour for an academic environment."

Karl slowly came up. She looked like Aleit; she moved like her, but was sure as hell wasn't Aleit!

He cautiously crawled into his seat, keeping an eye on her. He didn't trust her in the least.

He took out the pen from his binder and poked her with it. He would know for sure!

After all, Aleit hated being poked and was known to beat up people for merely brushing against her.

Closing his eyes, he braced for the worse and he poked her in the shoulder with the butt of his pen.

She cried out. "Hey! What do you think you're doing? I'll thank you not to poke me with your pen."

Karl arched an eyebrow. "Ok, so, you're not going to kill for that?"

"What are you talking about?" she hissed.

"Uh…nothing; I'm…uh…making sure you're not…a…uh…communist…" He shuddered. 'Smooth, Kieran! Smooth!'

"And poking me with a pen is going to accomplish…what?" she scathingly retorted, her eyes narrowing, as she glared at him over the rim of her frames. "I don't know who you are, but, it seems your mother failed to raise you right."

"Good, so…you really don't know who I am?"

"Thankfully no I don't."

"Good."

"I'm glad you think it's good. I'd hate to associate with a person like you…"

"You're a snarky little twat, aren't you? Two peas in a pod…"

She raised both eyebrows at him. "You're a nut case. I don't want to know what you've been smoking but, don't ever poke me again with a pen. And, in the future, if you must address me, at least have the courtesy to not act like a Yank."

He groaned. He couldn't wait for this class to be over…

Of course, it wouldn't end soon enough and nor would be get a reprieve from this girl!

After leaving, he headed for the coffee machine at the end of the hall, and as bad as it was, it was quicker than trying to get a cup in the cafeteria.

He sighed and fumbled around for change, dropping his books, only to hear an impatient sigh behind him.

"Are you planning to have a little session on the floor here or are you getting a cup of coffee?"

"You again… Damnit, leave me alone! I do not want anything to do with you ever! It was a mistake being involved with you in the first place!"

She pulled back. "Excuse me? I don't know what you're talking about; I've never met you before in my life!"

"Heeeiiidiiiii…" a seductive voice purred. "Don't think you're hogging the car today!"

The girl named Heidi softly growled. "No I won't, Aleit. Now go back to your lousy harem of male sluts."

"I'll thank you not to insult them. Besides, I don't see anything wrong with them worshipping the ground I walk on."

Karl shuddered; how he loathed that voice. He held the button on the coffee machine down. He didn't want to turn around. She would surely recognize him!

"You say it like it's a bad thing, sister dearest."

"Well it is, especially when you use them for comfort after you lose the guy who actually was monogamous. Too bad you took Mr. Tracey for granted. He was the only well-mannered one of that man-whore menagerie of yours."

"How'd you know? You never met him!"

"I talked to him; though I never did see him. He had a thing for shadows."

Aleit shrugged and walked off.

"Ow…fuck!" Karl exclaimed in his mother tongue of Gaelic. He had let the coffee over fill and the residual hot liquid drenched his left hand.

The girl known as Heidi turned back to him after her twin sister Aleit left.

"How long does it take to get coffee?"

"As long as it takes for that slut to get out of here..."

She inclined her head. "Oh?"

"Not all guys fall for her sweetly noxious nectar. Some of us want nothing to do with her. She's…toxic."

"As much as I think my sister is a harlot, I'll thank you not to insult her."

"Look, I just don't want to be associated with any sluts. She made a pass at me and sure, she's an easy lay, but, it goes against my religion." Karl replied turning around. At least he wasn't lying about this. She had indeed made sexual advances that he had rebuffed on religious grounds.

Heidi cautiously regarded for him for a minute as he moved out of the way. "I guess you do make a good point." She conceded.

Karl sighed in relief. He almost slipped up. It was a good thing she had never really met him when he was Kieran, otherwise he'd be screwed right about now.

He leaned against the wall. His gazed rested on her. She was different from her twin. She was cold, but it was the kind of cold shoulder that a person would give a stranger who didn't seem sane.

"So, your name is Heidi…"

"Heidi Vandenberg." She said, adding in her last name. "And you're…?"

"Kie… uh…Karl Schwartz." He replied, quickly stopping himself before he slipped up. He was still getting used to introducing himself as Karl and not Kieran. That and he didn't much care for the name Karl, but Kai didn't exactly have its perks either.

She cast a wary gaze at him. "You started to say another name…"

"Oh, that's my real first name. I hate it and I don't want to go by it!"

"What is it?"

"Kai."

Heidi nodded as she picked up a stir stick and quickly stirred the contents before disposing of the stick. She took a small and quick sip of the coffee and blinked at him. "How much longer do you intend to stand behind me, Mr. Schwartz?"

"As long as it takes to get you to go on a date with me, Heidi."

She snorted derisively. "If you'd expect to court me, at least have the decency to address me properly. Further, I'm not a cheap ride like my sister, and lastly, my parents will want to meet you."

Karl sighed. This girl was damn attractive; that was if she stopped being such a mousy church girl and undid a couple of buttons on her blouse, let her hair down and didn't insist on being so formal.

He could go for the easy type, but he wanted to shake his reputation he acquired as Kieran.

He rolled his eyes. They were either easy or difficult! There was no happy medium!

She placed her hands on her hips, or at least one. The other was holding a cup of coffee. "Well? Do you have something to say or are you just going to stand there? And I'll thank you not to undress me with your eyes."

"I couldn't because you probably have a corset under there, along with various other feminine unmentionables, dainties…"

She cast a dirty look at him. "I don't quite know what to make of you. Most boys would've retreated with their tail between their legs, looking much wounded. But…you seem undeterred."

She paused, her gaze moving over him. "Very well, if you insist, you can pick me up tonight, promptly at six on the dot. My father will be answering the door and will decide if I will be going with you. If he approves, I'll be ready."

She didn't wait for his response before she walked away.

Karl groaned, and stared aghast at her retreating form. 'What the hell is she? She's far less threatening than Aleit is, and yet, she scares me far more than Aleit ever did…'


	42. Side Story, Part 2

**A/N**: This is part 2 of the side story.

* * *

**Side Story, Part 2  
**

_L'amour de moi, s'y est enclose  
Dedans un jolie jardinet  
Ou croit la rose et le muguet  
Y aussi fail le passerose _

(_L'amour De Moi_, Rose, Medieval Baebes)

**27 years ago**_… _

_And this time, NOT in some ditch…_

He adjusted the mirror in his chair, giving himself once last cursory glance.

He ran his fingers through his hair. It had been less stressful picking up Aleit for a date – at least her parents didn't want to meet him. That was a good thing, even though he had this nagging suspicion that it was because they lumped him in with the rest of her male whore menagerie.

He took out a tooth pick from his blazer pocket and tried to pick out the last of the seeds stuck in his teeth from his quick snack before he left his house hastily, realising just how late he was going to be! He didn't spare the metal as ignored the strategically placed speed limit signs.

He could still smell burning rubber from when he had stopped two minutes ago with a spectacular screech of the tires on the uneven pavement in front of the Vandenberg house.

As he walked up the path to the porch, he didn't feel nervous. He had done this plenty of times before. The only thing he had to be nervous about was who he'd encounter upon ringing the chime.

'If God is smiling down upon me now, Aleit won't be home and I can get away without seeing her ever again.' Karl thought, though doubting that he'd be so lucky.

The door opened a minute later and a man of medium height cast a cool glance over him.

"Oh, you must be Heidi's date."

"Yes, I'm here to pick her up, sir!"

The man moved aside and let Karl come in.

"The ladies are up stairs, doing lady stuff…" Mr. Vandenberg replied, as he closed the door. "Can I get you something to drink? I'm pouring myself some Brandy."

"Uh…water is fine."

The man regarded Karl for a minute. "Damnit! So much for hoping that Heidi would find a normal boy to date instead of the conservative type…"

Karl blinked, staring at the man in surprise. "Actually, on second thought… do you have any whiskey?"

The man smiled. "There is hope yet. It's nice to see that Heidi brought home a nice boy and yet managed not to bring home a complete ass kisser."

The man left the room then reappeared holding two glasses. He held out one to Karl. "Sorry, I forgot I'm out of whiskey, so, I figured you'd probably like a Gin on the rocks."

"Well, I can't say no to a good drink." Karl replied graciously accepting the glass.

The man sat down. "So, then…" he remarked. "Your name is Karl Schwartz?"

"Yes, Mr. Vandenberg."

The man snorted and took a drink. "That's my dad… I'm Horst Vandenberg, and the wife is Freide." He took a sip from his glass. "Just kidding. You can call me either."

Karl smiled weakly. Now he remembered why he avoided Aleit's parents – the father was nuts!

"Tell me, boy, what does your father do for a living?"

Karl froze. He never considered this! Though, luckily for him, it was about to work out. "My father… I don't know. He died when I was about two years old; tragic accident at work."

"Sorry to hear about that." Horst replied. "And of your mother? What did she do?"

"Well, she was courted by a gentleman. The man I remember being quite older. He had been visiting the seamstress to get his trousers fixed because of a tear and the woman who worked on them was my mother. He had told her, or so my mother says that he found that she ought not to be working. Her skills were far too valuable for the world…

"She had explained to him that she needed the money since her husband had died. To which he replied that if she provided her services to his household that he would give her everything that she needed.

"My mother was penniless. My father had many debts because the money wasn't good following the war, especially in East Germany. The commies bled them dry. She had fled to the west after my father's death."

Karl bit his lip and sighed. It was good that most of this was true to begin with. His mother, Treasa had been widowed following his father's death. His father, Séamus Tracey had been killed by the British when he had stood up for a young boy who was being bullied by British forces who were patrolling the streets of Belfast.

The family had originally been from Blarney, outside of Cork, but in a time when jobs were scarce, they had moved away from their home and deep into anti-Catholic territory, when the economy had taken a downward turn.

Treasa and Séamus had been little more than sixteen and nineteen, respectively, when they had married.

Shortly after they had married, they had two daughters, Líle and Síle, less than two years apart. These girls were the first and second born children to the Tracey couple. The third child would be Kieran, born five years after Síle.

Unlike his sisters, he wasn't the normal one, though he had managed to hide his abnormal skill from them for his whole life. He had the displeasure, at least until he figured out just how useful his skill was, of trying to stop the small character on his chest from burning.

The next part about the gentleman caller had been right, except his mother had been working as a secretary for a Protestant lawyer. She had swallowed her pride and took the job. She had been a secretary during the war and was able to return to her post quite easily.

Treasa had been able to leave him and his older sisters in her neighbour's care while she went to work.

The prosecution lawyer had initially offered her the job on the condition that Treasa didn't display any signs of her religion at work. She could keep her rosary in her pocket, but she wasn't allowed to bring it out and the small cross she wore had to be concealed underneath her blouse or removed when she arrived.

Séamus had enlisted with the armed forces, despite the religious tensions. He didn't much care for the Germans. They had killed his brother and uncle in the Great War. He didn't want this war to last as long, so he had enlisted; though much to his luck, he had come home a hero and relatively unscathed, save for one or two minor shrapnel wounds and a fair share of cuts and sprains.

Treasa and many of their Catholic neighbours had welcomed him home as an unsung hero. They didn't hold in contempt the fact that he had fought with the enemy, for they had something in common with that enemy, an even greater one.

Of course, as soon as the murder of Séamus took place, the community's short term memory blanked out the greater enemy in favour of the common enemy – the Protestants and English.

His funeral hadn't been an elaborate one, but it had been one with the highest attendance rates in the community's history despite that the Tracey family hadn't lived in the area for a long period of time.

Knowing that she was left with the burden of the bills, Treasa left her three children in the care of a good friend and neighbour when she went out in search of work. She would find nothing and soon be driven back to the cold sterile office of her first employer.

He was the youngest of those at the firm, though quite older than the young Treasa. Some women would have described him as debonair; charismatic. Treasa would have scoffed at such remarks, as she didn't much care for him, despite his advances.

Being a widowed single mother didn't carry a taboo, in fact, it garnered sympathy amongst the neighbours, especially amongst those who knew of her husband's accomplishments. However, being pregnant a year after one's husband passed away didn't bode well.

Her employer, Liam O'Kelly, tired of her rejections knew the only way to get her was to employ sneaky tactics. He had invited her into his office after hours for a jolly cup of tea, failing to tell her that he had laced it with opium.

She had succumbed quickly to the effects and he had used her intoxicated state to take advantage of her.

He had then escorted her home, attempting to make it look like he hadn't done a thing wrong, even though he faced no legal repercussions.

He had then decided to bid his time before his next aggressive move just in case he had managed to get her in the disposition he needed her to be in.

Much to his joy, two months later she had come to him, explaining her need to leave work and go home to Cork because she needed to be with her parents because there was too much stigma attached to a woman in her position being pregnant without a husband.

He had secretly leapt in joy. To her, he maintained a solemn exterior as he proposed that there was no need for her to leave. He had a large and empty house and that he could provide for her and her children, on the condition that she married him.

Treasa had accepted. She had no other choice. Not like it mattered though; she was dead inside. There had been a void left by Séamus' death.

The wedding had been almost immediate and met with incredible resentment from her two oldest children. Her youngest was too young to know the difference, but wasn't responsive to his stepfather.

His older sisters resented their stepfather and because they were around Kieran more when he was of school age, they could pollute his mind with warped ideas of the kind of evil man their stepfather was.

As the young mind was very impressionable, he quickly fell for their truth.

Their truth was a twist on reality. They indeed hated the man because they saw him many an attempt to replace their father too quickly. They further resented him for being the 'enemy'.

They however, didn't hold it against their youngest brother, Padráig, who would be one of Kieran's best friends until his faked death.

Due to their closeness, Padráig had been deeply affected by his brother's death and if he knew the truth, he would never forgive him…

Karl turned back to Horst. "Well… that's pretty much it, except that my mother didn't really care for her new husband because she had been coerced into the marriage."

He had been able to craft his story so it was just a slight modification of the truth more than anything.

"That is tragic, dear boy. It never bodes well to hear of that kind of thing." Horst replied sincerely.

"My mother didn't much care for the man and I knew she was unhappy, but she never listened, and last year, she took her life, making me an orphan and my brother motherless." Karl replied, carefully omitting any mention of his sisters.

That was a lie, but he needed to distant himself from the notion of any immediate family. It was a dangerous idea, especially if a meeting was ever needed in the future.

"That's a darn shame, it is, lad." Horst replied, taking a sip from his glass, sagely gazing into the contents. "Your mother must've been a fine woman if she raised a sensitive yet proper boy. I wish that I could say the same thing for two of those degenerate children of mine.

"They broke their mother's heart. I didn't hurt me in the least to cast them out. My eldest son Randolph wasn't a model citizen; too often in trouble with the feds and that Aleit, damn little whore she was. That girl is the blackest of sheep and quickly frankly, I say goodbye to bad rubbish.

"The way I figure it, if they were messed up, it isn't the parent's fault. It's all that infectious foreign Yankee culture that is corrupting them. Freide did the best she did. After all, the rest of our eight children turned out fine; though some far more conservative than my generation."

"Horst, I better not hear you speaking ill of those two again despite their actions. They are still our offspring, whether you like it or not." A stern yet soft female voice.

"Ah, Freide. I was just bonding with Heidi's date. A fine young lad is he." Horst replied, taking a long sip from his glass.

Karl immediately put his down and stood up, holding out his hand. "Hello, Mrs. Vandenberg. I'm Karl Schwartz."

"A pleasure to meet you." Her eyes twinkled oddly. It was as if she knew…

"Could you please tell Heidi that we need to be at the theatre soon? I hate being late."

"Oh, the theatre!" Freide's eyes expressed surprised and utmost approval. She poked Horst. "I imagine that it must be just as wonderful as in our youth."

"Balderdash! I hate that cultural tripe. It's a darn waste of time getting all prepared just to sit still and listen to a fat lady wail for five hours in Italian."

"Horst, my uncultured husband…" Freide disdainfully snorted. She turned to Karl. "You wouldn't happen to have a third ticket, my dear?"

"I'm terribly sorry, but I was lucky to be able to get tickets for The Barber of Seville."

"Oh, how lovely." She gazed at her watch. "I think Heidi is ready. She wanted a couple of minutes to pray. She knew she wouldn't get to evening mass."

Freide left the room and returned momentarily, Heidi trailing behind her, putting her rosary in her pocket.

"Ah, who'd have thought her such a devout Catholic? There isn't a sight more breathtaking than that of a beautiful lady in prayer." Karl commented softly, his eyes landed on the hand clutching the rosary.

His eyes were lit happily. He had feared that she may have been a Protestant girl – one of those who were scornful of his people. 'The ones who killed my father...'

"Yes, I'm a Catholic." She replied confidently.

He offered a coy smirk. "Then perhaps if you're satisfied at the end of the night, I can accompany you to Sunday mass?" He offered, taking her hand in his and kissing it.

Thought attempting to hide it, she failed miserably in cloaking her flattery.

'Excellent. I knew she couldn't be that stern…'

That had been the hard part of this relationship. The easy part came after he proved himself to be a good Catholic. It wasn't hard since he had practiced devoutly since his youth. He knew his prayers and went to weekly confessions and generally held the same steadfast beliefs that Heidi did, or so he liked her to believe.

He did love her, but knew damn well, deep in his heart, that she would turn on him if she knew anything of his past and his willing, soon-forced association with her sister.

He had been lucky. Her sister had been cast out of the house after a nasty argument with Horst, following the revelation that she was pregnant, and to make matters worse, the father remained unknown. However, Karl suspected it was his. He had been involved with Aleit a few days before his 'death'. He had only been involved with her because she was seeking to make another guy jealous.

Karl then rationalized that it probably hadn't been his. She had slept with so many guys at that time that it could've been any one of those men.

Soon, much to his relief, word had hit ears that she had been partying and in a moment of wild abandon, fell down a flight of stairs, only to lose the unborn baby. It didn't give Horst any reason to let the girl back into the house; the girl who he refused to acknowledge as his daughter, despite that Freide wouldn't let him forget.

Freide… what could he really think about her? She was the tree from where the twins were spawned. She had been the hybrid and each of her daughters became the singularity of that part of her.

But there was one thing he always credited her with and that was the fact that no one fooled her. Not even him.

He had feared the worse when she approached him.

"Kieran, dear," is how the conversation had begun.

He didn't like that one bit.

She smiled softly at him. "It's ok, I won't tell Heidi, but I must know something…"

"Yes?"

"What made you decide to fake your death and change your name?"

"If I told you, you'd be shocked."

"If it has to do with Aleit, I won't…"

He felt a barrier of ice melt between them. This woman was warm, though had the same sternness as did Heidi.

"Well, she has this malicious streak in her and I hadn't listened to the other guys who were around her and it cost me. Three tried to warn me that if I got involved with her, that I couldn't get away. They had told me that the last guy who tried to break up with her wound up dead.

"I thought they were joking, until I realised that I didn't feel anything for her. I told her that I didn't want to be involved any more and she turned nasty. I then backtracked, only to get caught up further in a tangled web of lies… Death was my only way out."

He had thought of other methods, including his preferred method of morphing shapes. But, he figured it wouldn't suffice in the short term because he would have to turn back into a human. He didn't mention that part to Freide.

He certainly had no plans to mention it to Heidi, even as they lost themselves further in the ecstasy of a stable, loving, caring and sex-free relationship.

He couldn't hold out. He didn't want to cheat on her, but three years was a long time. Though much to his credit, he didn't turn to a woman or man for comfort, he turned to his fellow cat.

He preferred to stake on the form of a domestic cat; male of course. He took on a handsome tabby form, with sharp stripes, accentuated with rich brown fur and big, round eyes, the colour of emeralds. Sure he pushed it a bit, but he didn't mind being the best looking cat around.

In his cat form, he felt free. He didn't mind it. He liked to stalk through the fields and he could jump to heights he couldn't in his human form. Of course, he hadn't been able to completely master the typical cat-like traits. He had, however, been able to master the art of concealing his chi presence.

Hence, it had come as a surprise to him when he found himself face to face with a Seiryuu Seishi. Although, much to his relief, he went undetected.

It was good for him; Heidi would never find out.

Though, it might've paid to learn how to change forms to take on a different human form, because much to his dismay and against his wishes, as well as Heidi's, his mother-in-law to be, had suggested and went ahead and invited Aleit, insisting that even though the girl had been kicked out of the house, she was still a member of the family.

Heidi made it no secret she wanted her sister sat at the back of the Cathedral and as far from the family table at the reception, which Karl didn't object to at all.

Nonetheless, despite the attempt, it didn't work out because Aleit managed to get a spot at the front of the church, next to her parents.

She had seemed to not notice him, then again, he hadn't paid any mind to the malicious smirk that had crept over her lips. She timed her attack, to unleash her venom at the precisely the presiding Father asked, "if anyone knows why this couple shall not be joined in the bonds of holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Aleit jumped up. "I do."

The crowd had gasped, and Karl paled. He knew what was about to follow…

"Heidi is about to marry a man who is a fraud. He isn't who he says he is. His real name is Kieran Tracey."

Horst glared at her and stood up. "This foolish little whore doesn't know what she's saying. She's got a filthy mouth and can't accept that her sister has found happiness. She is trying to derail a sacred bond with her malicious lies."

"Horst…." Freide whispered, her eyes moving over to Karl. She remembered what she had promised him and stood up. She cleared her throat. "This young man indeed is who he says he is. My daughter, Aleit, God save her soul, is lying before eyes and ears of our Lord."

It was a tense moment before Horst grabbed Aleit by the upper arm. "I disowned you for a reason! And I will not let you sully your brother-in-law's good name with your filth." He forcefully moved her to the church exit.

Heidi gazed at Karl, and the Priest nodded. "I don't think you have to worry, my dear. This man has been in my congregation for four years. He isn't who your sister says he is."

The Father waited until Horst had seated himself. He then again asked the congregation if anyone had any objection to the union, then declared, "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Karl wanted to add some zest to it, but Heidi was far too conservative for that, as she was for other forms of monogamous relations. Missionary… that's all she ever took. He tried foreplay, and received little response. He didn't mind, as long as she did let him do it thing, even if she didn't react.

She had made it painfully clear that she only consented because she wanted children.

In his eyes, as long as she didn't get pregnant, it would mean a lot of "trying".

Of course, that wound up being short lived because the conception attempt had proven successful, and even more so once she was showing. The doctors had declared that she was carrying at least two, if not three infants.

While Heidi was counting her blessings, Karl had found he spent his nights crunching numbers. Three children right away was just too much. He didn't mind though, but the financial strain of triplets did need mindful planning.

They remained unaware of one plan though; the plan that Aleit was developing. She hadn't forgotten about the humiliation she had experienced at her sister's wedding, nor was she about to forgive Kieran's betrayal. In her eyes, by not only faking his death and denying her was the ultimate form of treason.

She thought of ways to hit him where it hurt the most, and she didn't care if her beloved twin sister was hurt in the process, so long as Kieran felt her wrath.

She carefully worked her way back into sister's life. She needed to be close to her twin in order to make sure that she was in the prime position to strike when the time came. She didn't want to rely on second hand information.

She had planned out her attack, so that she would even have a safe haven in the end. She didn't want to chance a thing.

Aleit had never been a patient person, but this forced her to learn patience and amongst other things, stealth and the ability to deftly gather crucial data.

Her day of revenge came on a rainy day. She had been sitting with her sister after the triplets had been delivered and excused herself from the room. She had important business to attend to; her sister was understanding.

She slipped out, meeting with a man who had ironically helped with Kieran's betrayal a couple of years ago, only she didn't know it.

She met with him in the halls and he was to help her seize the triplets, in exchange that he got one of them; one of the boys. He had explained that his beloved wife, Martha had given birth to a stillborn and was rightfully traumatised. He wanted to give her the baby she so desired.

Aleit didn't object. He was helping her, and that was all that mattered.

As for the other two, she had used her flight stopover in Belfast to get rid of the other boy. She had found a young girl and her parents waiting near a terminal gate. She had walked over and cautiously asked the couple if they could watch her son while she went to change her daughter. They had agreed, not knowing that they would be forced into caring for the boy.

She hadn't asked right away; she had simply sat down and waited for the girl, whose name she didn't change, to cry. She had managed to keep the boy content, and hence, when the girl, Meike, cried, she was able to ask the O'Kelly couple, Padráig and Aíne to keep an eye on her son.

Left with just the girl, as Aleit wanted something that belonged to Kieran, so she could strike back when they were older, she had boarded the outbound flight for Calgary and left.

Karl hadn't known in advanced, but by fluke, while he was out drinking with Thomas Anderson and Eugene Manley, had accidentally found out.

It had been about two years after the fact, but in a drunken stupor, Anderson had revealed all, which was enough for Karl to go back and tell Heidi everything; everything including the details about how Aleit cleverly gave one of the boys to an Irish couple.

However, in an ironic twist of fate, after the death of Aíne, Padráig, with his four biological children and his adopted son, had moved to Berlin, following being appointed to a diplomatic post. This put him in direct contact, though by a fluke of fate, with his older half brother… the true father of Padráig's adopted son….


	43. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

The wind blew and Houjun's mask fell off, floating to the ground.

"It means your incarnation is immortal."

Houjun sighed and glanced around; he didn't see the other. He continued his explanation, "Only two others, and possibly a third though I am not sure of that, share this trait. One was Miboshi, the other Genbu Seishi Iname. Miboshi had dark magic. Iname was a Cursed Kin; a created Kyuuketsuki, not a Natural Kin."

"And... me?" Jonathan was almost too afraid to ask. He needed to know. He knew it wasn't him, but still wanted to know; to satisfy his curiosity.

"A Cursed Kin as well, no da."

"Meaning?" Yui couldn't help but to ask. She too was curious.

Nature crud began to float around Houjun who waved it away.

"Meaning that the Cursed are created by a Fallen Kin. Cursed too can create Blood Kin, but those kin become like the Cursed, eternally damned to their inner demons. In Koutoku's case, no da, it is my opinion as a monk that he was created when he was suffering. That suffering was translated into bloodlust for revenge."

There was a moment of silence.

Some rocks and various debris around floated around Houjun. He swatted it away. He knew what it was and who was controlling it. He muttered something under his breath, along the lines of, "in a minute."

Houjun picked his mask off the ground and allowed for it to vanish into thin air. "Now where I? Oh! Right, no da. Then there are those who are created in purity. They are created by Natural Kin and Cursed Kin who have their awakening, no da. That leaves you with a third Kyuuketsuki, the Ritual Kin; those who cling to their humanity but feel the blood of the Kin.

"All kin regardless of origin are still blood sucking demons, no da."

He watched as the crud dropped in a heap to the ground. He could see the wispy figure move around Yui and stick a pair of arms through her. This went unnoticed.

Houjun rubbed his temples. "Seiryuu no Miko, uh...you..." He waved his hands in the direction of the flying debris feebly but gave up. He knew he would have to deal with it.

The wispy spirit impatiently brushed against Houjun.

"Someone wants my attention. I need to take care of this, no da." He sighed and walked away.

He glanced back over his shoulder then placed his staff away. Folding his arms over his chest, he waited for the spirit to appear. It often did this often when it thought it knew something or it needed Houjun to do a favour.

"There's two others! There's two Kyuuketsuki here!"

Houjun shook his head. The spirit didn't even wait to appear before enthusiastically speaking.

"One is a Ritual Kin, the other is a Natural Kin! But... neither will notice me! NO ONE NOTICES MEEEEEEEEEE!!"

"Daa... what am I, chopped liver?"

Houjun regretted it as the spirit of Suboshi began to howl and cry.

Glancing back, Houjun briefly wondered if it would work. "Instead of snivelling, no da, why don't you see if Seiryuu no Miko can see you?"

'And maybe stop bugging me when I try and do something productive.'

"REALLY? Where, where, where?"

Houjun pointed over to where Yui stood near to Jonathan, completely ignoring him. He appeared to be looking for something.

"Hold up!" Houjun said, "Shunkaku, you may want to note that she's..." He couldn't get his sentence out before the spirit of Suboshi vanished into thin air and reappeared behind Yui and began the attempt to get her attention. He sighed and turned, hearing something out of place. He went to investigate...

"AHAH! I got it!" Jonathan held it up.

Curiously Yui glanced over. She hadn't noticed the spirit vying for her attention. "Got what?"

"A Crucifix!"

"...why?"

"Well, according to Chichiri, these kyuuketsuki are blood sucking demons. That means they're vampires. And the easiest way to get rid of any vampire is with garlic, a mirror, a Crucifix or just wait for run rise. Though if it's going to be perpetual night, I'll go for my Crucifix." Jonathan explained holding it up. The Crucifix was a small part of the rosary that had been in the pants pocket.

Yui felt a twinge of fear. Could it be? She stepped closer to Jonathan and began to search her school uniform. "Maybe I got something... I keep a compact mirror, maybe it will help..."

"You just know Tenkou would employ vampires. The dark princes of the realm! The evil out of Transylvania!"

The hatred and rivalry had been forgotten as they thought and processed the whole meaning of what Houjun had told them. If they understood correctly, there was at least one Kyuuketsuki nearby. They both knew the myth of the vampires.

Something rustled in the bushes.

The two yelped and out jumped a beautiful creature. It looked fantastical. The steel bluish-grey animal glanced at the two. It had the body, face and ears of a fox, but the tail was curious. The creature appeared to have three tails. Its eyes studied the two intently and in a puff of smoke, the creature morphed into a beautiful androgynous human, neither masculine nor feminine features.

His hair was platinum blond. He had greyish-silver eyes.

He held out a hand and bowed. "Forgive me." He spoke with a soft, almost ethereal voice. "I didn't mean to startle you. I was merely in pursuit of two Kyuuketsuki through these woods."

"There's two?" Yui squeaked.

Jonathan paled. "I thought there was just one. HOW IS ONE DAMN CRUCIFIX GONNA PROTECT US??"

"A 'Crucifix'? What strange talisman is this of which you speak?"

Jonathan held it up and the creature nodded. "An otherworldly object indeed. Though I regret to inform you that such things do not provide protection against Kyuuketsuki."

"What about a mirror, the sun... garlic?" Yui inquired, to which the creature merely shook its head.

The two glanced nervously between each other.

"Anything silver...?" Jonathan asked, and again the creature shook its head.

"I'm afraid that Kyuuketsuki can easily walk amongst humans, as well as any other creature. The Kitsune can easily do so as well, as you can see." The creature gestured at himself. He bowed again. "Forgive me for not introducing myself, I am Huo Shen."

"I'm Amiboshi and this is Yui." Jonathan didn't know if his name would be easy to remember here.

Shen nodded and smiled serenely. He studied Jonathan closely. "You're a Seishi. Strange, you're not one of Nyosei."

"No, Seiryuu."

Shen nodded and eyed the girl. "Strange attire. A girl of the legend by chance?"

"Yes..."

There was another moment then Shen added. "You too are of Seiryuu. For which there is only one star. Your star and that of all but one of your Seishi has faded to the touch of Tenkou."

"How do you know so much about this?" Yui asked curiously.

"I myself am a Seishi. Nyosei Seishi, Akideo. The stars have foretold of the arrival of my Miko." Shen replied airily. He again smiled. His features were flawless. His skin was ghost white, yet he didn't look sickly.

"How do you know of Kyuuketsuki?" she asked.

"I myself am a Natural Kin; my mother was a kin and my father was a _youma_. For this reason, I am able to switch with easy between my two forms. I often taken on my kin form as it doesn't scare people."

Yui backed away. "Do Kin really suck blood?"

"Only the Cursed will take the life of a human. The Ritual Kin almost never come in touch with their kin nature and hence like the Natural don't resort to such savagery."

"So there's three??" Jonathan squeaked terrified.

"Yes, and it's peculiar. The Ritual Kin shares traits with the Cursed Kin. It is unheard of." Shen glanced back and pointed to the side. "They approach. Best not to cross paths; those calls that you cannot hear are the calls of two Kin fighting. I've never heard of Ritual Kin fighting any kin and being in touch with their kin nature."

He grabbed Yui and led her away as Jonathan followed. Instructing them to remain there, he turned and found himself facing Houjun who raised a staff, poised to strike.

"State your business, no da."

"I am Huo Shen; traveller. Your friends were in danger. Two kin are fighting and it's... humans can't be in the scent range. Bloodshed will result."

Houjun lowered his staff and watch distrustfully as Shen walked toward the fray.

Suboshi appeared next to the group. He thrust a hand through Houjun's head.

At this point, Houjun was ready to call it quits. He couldn't take it anymore. He had spent 100 years like this. He had been the unwitting companion for the psychotic perma-teen. He removed his staff and stuck it through the spirit. It still had the orb atop it.

The orb reacted and lit up the spirit.

Yui and Jonathan both yelped and hid in a bush.

Houjun sighed and left the two to snivel.

Yui slowly came to her senses. She realised she had lost her drive when she had arrived here. She had allowed herself to be at the mercy of those she loathed. She knew the Kyuuketsuki would be occupied for a while. Houjun wasn't fast with his reflexes.

She finally had become comfortable enough with her settings in order to strike. Sadly, she couldn't do what she wanted, so she opted for the next best thing. She would hurt her target by proxy.

The snivelling eventually stop as Jonathan cried out in pain. Yui held in her hand a knife that she pulled out of his side. She smirked. One down, one to go.

She immediately vanished into the woods.

Lying on the ground, Jonathan couldn't do anything. He had let his guard down and paid for it. Houjun removed his kesa and pressed it on the open wound. He silently cursed under his breath. He had used the last of the holy water many years ago and didn't have any left; just the container.

"...why?"

Houjun glanced up. He realised the spirit was still there and was quite bewildered.

"Why would Yui-sama do that?" he whispered. He sighed. He looked Houjun in the eye then away. "Forgive me, I'm going after her... I... I need to know."

"But!"

"I'm dead. Nothing else can happen, can it?"

Houjun winced at that bitter, cynical tone. He relent and waved the spirit in the direction. "Just don't let her near the village. There are three Kyuuketsuki there fighting. Even if she's attacking those who've done nothing wrong, I don't know what will happen, no da."

Watching the spirit fly away quickly, Houjun turned his attention back to the reincarnated Seishi under his guardianship. He didn't know what he could do. He sighed. He still had the container on his person. Maybe, just maybe there was a single drop; enough to at least stop the bleeding.

Amongst the ruins of the village, Shen found two blue streaks of light moving quickly. He knew the average Kyuuketsuki didn't show such brilliance. How was this even possible? If there was more than one Seishi here, why didn't he detect the chi?

He watch closely. Now that he stood in the vicinity, he could see two clearly. One was wearing clothing similar to the Seishi he left behind with the elder Suzaku Seishi and the other wore clothing of the world.

He didn't believe it was possible to interfere to take down the Cursed Kin. He couldn't tell which was a true Cursed Kin and the other the Ritual Kin. It was as if the Ritual Kin had been created during the awakening of a Cursed Kin, which just wasn't possible.

The smaller of the two landed and pushed the bigger one away. He turned at hissed at Shen, who glanced wearily between the two.

The other landed gracefully, but there was pain dancing across his face.

Shen's eyes moved down. He realised then that the Kyuuketsuki was bleeding from his eyes. His eyes widened. That wasn't just possible. The two never struck each other, so how was the taller of the two bleeding and so profusely?

The smaller one then lunged at the taller one. After a brief scrap, the smaller one teleported away, the character on the left shoulder of the taller one glowed prominently. The smaller one had several gashes on his face.

Shen just stared. 'How is it there is a second Seiryuu Seishi yet I feel no chi from him?'

"Satisfied? Or do you want me to do to you what I did to Tomo?"

"You wouldn't! You don't have the guts! And even if you did, you can't kill me!"

Shannon fiddled with the cross around his neck.

Even in the minimal daylight, Shen could see the object around the taller one's neck. It appeared to be similar to the item that 'Amiboshi' had called a Crucifix.

"You will still face St. Peter's judgement."

"Judgement? What are you babbling about? Has the air in the other world got to your head?"

'Other world?' Shen wondered. What would a Seishi be doing there? He heard the legends; only five had ever gone. Three came back alive. One died by his own hand and one was defeated at the hands of a Suzaku Seishi. Was this one of those legendary Seishi?

"Heathen. Godless heathen."

"How am I godless if I believe in Seiryuu?"

"Seiryuu isn't a real god. He's not our Lord and Saviour."

"Blah, blah, blah, what a bore. Honestly, do you believe what's coming out of your mouth?"

"Yes. Of course I do. If I didn't, I'd be damned to an eternal life in the fiery bowels of hell, my soul forever tortured by Lucifer; every one of my sins being paid for ironically."

Shen merely raised an eyebrow. Just what was happening. He never saw a Cursed Kin pass up a chance to take the blood of another.

Glancing over to the side, Shannon smirked. "We really are standing in the ruins of Sanun-shou, Tenryou-shi? Strange... I don't remember that little idol over there." He opened his hand. His weapon manifested.

"What are you doing?" Koutoku growled.

"Bringing you back to your fucking senses! If anyone's fucked in the head, it isn't me!" Shannon threw his weapon at the shrine that stood in the ruins of the village, reducing it to complete and total rubble.

Shen stared dumbstruck.

"Why?" Koutoku whispered.

"Because it's a fucking lie! I killed myself then and I would do it now if I fucking could!"

Tears fell from the eyes of Koutoku.

Shen was at a loss for words. A Cursed Kin that could cry?

"Sorry..." Koutoku whispered. He stared at his hands and dropped to his knees. "Why did I take her offer? Look at me, I'm a demon! Why did I do that?"

Shen walked over and placed a hand on the smaller Kyuuketsuki's shoulder.

"I can help."

"How?"

"I know a simple spell that can reverse the touch of a Cursed Kin. But it would remove your immortality and possibly kill you."

"Just do it. I don't want to be like this. I never wanted to be like this. I... I just wanted to protect the only person I cared about and now I couldn't even do that in the end."

Shen indicated for the smaller kyuuketsuki to be silent. From his large travelling robe he removed a small vial. He then bit his wrist, allowing blood to trickle out. He removed the stopper from the vial and let two drops of his blood fall in. He handed it to Koutoku.

"This should undo the touch of the Cursed."

It was the only elixir that Shen carried. He was willingly to give it to the kyuuketsuki before him. He didn't know why. Maybe it was the lost look in the blue eyes or maybe it was the distress in the voice. Either way, he felt that the true nature was showing at just that moment.

He didn't feel like killing this person.

Taking the elixir, Koutoku eyed it cautiously then looked to Shannon and drank it in one swift gulp.

Slowly, colour drained from Koutoku; youth escaped him. After crippling moments of silence, he groaned and stood up. Everything hurt. It was as though he was no longer young.

"Shit..."

"I didn't think it would be that drastic..."

"I... I feel. Ugh, I don't know. I just want to sit down." Koutoku whispered. He sighed. Everything stiff.

"He's..."

"Old." Shen finished. He hadn't expected this.

Koutoku glanced around. "The sky is dark. Strange for this time of day. Nothing has changed in one hundred years. Everything is still marred by chaos and I still couldn't do anything to stop it. The world will never be in peace and... I can't remember much else."

"What's your name?" Shen asked.

"I'm... Kaika."

'What a strange response...' Shannon thought but then realised that he could see the evidence in the eyes. The memories weren't there. Not even the chi. The spirit had truly left and only sour lingering memories had been with Kaika until he was released from the curse.

Kaika stood up and smiled. "Anyone know where Houjun-san is?"

Shen was guessing it was one of the two Seishi behind them and pointed in that direction.

"Thanks. It's strange; I used to be able to detect his presence now I can't." Kaika mused sadly and walked away. He felt lost and his friend was the only sane being he knew at this time; someone who would be able to shed light into the darkness that Kaika was wallowing through.

After a moment, Shannon turned to Shen. "If it worked for him... would it for me?"

"What do you mean?"

"The elixir."

"I'm sorry, it was my last one. What did you say your name was?"

"I don't give my name."

"Pardon me; my apologies. I guess I should introduce myself then. I'm Huo Shen."

"And a Seishi... which one?"

"How...?"

"Are you daft? Or can you not detect my chi?"

"But... if..."

"I'm just that good. Now, Shen... which one are you? Better yet, let's see the character so I can determine if I need to kill you before you find the Miko."

"Why would you... oh! The Maijin! I assure you I am a true Seishi. I am a slayer of sorts. I've killed two of the Maijin."

"You realise Tenkou can merely assign more."

"Not necessarily. As Nyosei represents duality in the world, only seven can exist for the darkness and seven for the light. Nyosei no Miko represents both, by being of am impure body with a pure soul." Shen explained sagely. He continually spoke with an ethereal voice. He never raised it. It was just his nature.

He touched a finger to Shannon's neck, feeling the pulse. "Tell me... how long have you been caught in this limbo between kinship and humanity?"

"What do you mean?" Shannon queried. He could have moved the hand, but the touch didn't bother him. For a stranger, the touch was surprisingly soothing.

"When did the kin bite you?"

"I... can't really remember. I think it was eleven years ago."

"Who bit you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. Because there is something odd about you. While you're clearly a Kyuuketsuki; a Ritual Kin, you possess qualities that are only seen in the Cursed. Tell me, do you often feel torn between voices; that there is something in you that doesn't belong there?"

Shen traced a finger down Shannon's neck. He met no resistance.

"I can do something. It wouldn't release you from the nature of a kin but it would allow you to be free from the pain of merely being a Ritual Kin; a Halfling kin as it were. I can allow you to be a Natural Kin, but there is no way to die."

Shannon swallowed uneasily. He glanced away. "I don't know..."

Shen detected the hesitation. He knew what it was. He had the answer that often earned converts, "A Natural Kin doesn't have to live alone. A Natural Kin can create themselves an Eternal Partner. It can be anyone but the person the Kin picks must welcome the change; they must embrace it.

"Creating an Eternal Partner is a romantic ritual. Turning a Ritual Kin into a Natural us a simple procedure. But it requires the exchange of blood." Shen's fangs appeared and he bit into his wrist. He then instructed Shannon to do the same.

"If I do this, you will make haste to Kosei? Meike... Nyosei no Miko needs her Seishi. The Maijin have already attacked once. They'll do it again. Even with the _shinzahou_ destroyed during the summoning of Seiryuu, there is always a way to summon the god, whether for darkness or the light.

Shen paused. The Ritual Kin seemed to know quite a bit about this world, almost as much as Shen himself did. He stared intently at Shannon. "Just who are you?" He asked.

"I'm a Seiryuu Seishi... or at least a reincarnation thereof."

Shen nodded. He understood. This person was like no other he had ever encountered in over four hundred years of living in this world. He had seen and heard of the legends. He knew one day his time would come. He remembered all the Seishi he met. This one he had never met.

Some people didn't want to be known. These people had a simple desire to slip through life anonymously.

Shen raised his wrist. "I shall seek out her. This is my promise, though I feel it may be profitable for her in the long run if I were to seek out the others with a little help."

Shannon nodded. "Nothing less. I can work with you. I don't need any Maijin coming near my sister."

"Sister?" Shen asked incredulously.

"Yes. My younger twin sister was taken in as the Miko."

"Odd. That the Miko would be related to a Seishi."

"Stranger things have happened. All of the reincarnated Seishi are connected to each other one way or another.

"Some just weren't destined to survive the fight when chaos spilt over into the new world."

Shen raised a hand. "This exchange of ideas has allowed the blood to dry up. Perhaps we shall try this again?" He again bit the same spot.

Hesitating, Shannon tried to but stopped. "How do I...?" He wondered out loud. He didn't realise just how instinctive the act was. He had the wrist near his mouth. A split second later he sank the fangs he never realised existed into his wrist. Blood trickled down.

The taste, the scent. It was powerful; overwhelming. He knew the scent. At that moment he had an epiphany. He had always been like this. Ever since the first moment it struck him. From the first whiff of blood to now. He had been in tune with this side. He had merely assumed that the bloodlust he felt in combat was driven by an inner fire. Not by the blood that pumped through his veins.

Bloodlust really meant a desire for blood; whether to get the scent, to drink it or merely watch it flow from another living being. Whether it was from his enemy or from his own wrists.

Placing his hand over the wound on the other's wrist, Shen instructed him to do the same.

The blood seemed to have a life of its own. The scarlet fluid trickled between their fingers, moving almost life-like as it formed a thin layer over the hand. The blood slowly enveloped itself around the two hands. Finally it stopped moving and froze. It was as if it had come into contact with frigid air and was flash-frozen.

The blood stayed red.

Shen glanced up. "You are indeed a true Ritual Kin. I wanted to do this because if Natural Kin blood comes into contact with Cursed Kin blood, there is repulsion and the blood will not interact smoothly.

"I was admittedly sceptical. You displayed traits of a Cursed Kin. Tell me, who was your creator?"

It was strange. Being like this established an unspeakable mutual trust.

"Reincarnated Genbu Seishi Iname."

Shen's eyes narrowed. "How long has she been like that?"

"She only came into contact with her memories eleven years ago. I was in the same room as her when she suddenly had the rush. Before then, it had been fractured for her. The only reason it ever came to her early was because I had received my memories early and I was able to help her regain hers. I didn't know anything beyond that, so when she bit me, I was caught off guard."

"An awakening. I never thought it was possible for a Cursed Kin." Shen whispered incredulous at the revelation.


	44. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

_And when life gets tough,  
I feel I've had enough,  
I hold on to a distant star_

(_Distant Dreamer_, Rockferry, Duffy)

_Back in the Priestess' world..._

Miaka impatiently tapped her pen on the page. She hated sitting through English review, especially now that she had someone who was proficient and raised her comprehension, something years of forced-fend English education didn't accomplish. It wasn't so bad when she had someone she could pass notes to. But she lacked even that. She absently glanced at the seat next to her. Yui normally sat there and was absent again.

The Sensei had long since stopped asking Miaka as to the whereabouts of her friend after an outburst recently in which Miaka declared entirely in English, "_what do I look like, Hongou-san's keeper? I'm making an effort to haul my ass to your class, don't I get any credit for that? I could learn more English if I stayed away than if I came._" A statement which was promptly followed by a deep blush as she sat back down into her seat and mumbled an apology for her unprecedented outburst. Strangely sensei had immediately added several points next to her name, praising her grasp of the English language.

Miaka wondered where it had come from. She did spend quite a bit of time around Shannon and his brother. Which she credited her English success to.

She again eyed the desk next to her.

It wasn't that Miaka didn't love Yui; she just wasn't her best friend's keeper. It seemed that as soon as Yui was absent from school, Miaka had to answer the questions about her friend's whereabouts. Fortunately she only shared a few of her subjects with Yui; the remainder of Miaka's elective subjects were in areas that didn't interest Yui.

She sighed and tapped her pen on the page. Blue dots appeared on the page. Eventually she began to doodle. It was far more amusing than listening to the review, which was of no use to her, especially since she had done so well on the last quiz. She had surprised even herself. She hadn't expected to do so well. Even her mother was beyond pleased. Typically a quiz got mild praise followed by encouragement to work harder but the last several quizzes and the English test brought home got Miaka nothing but praise.

Groaning, her eyes rolled back in her head. Sensei was just so long winded, and never had she so badly needed to go to the bathroom in her life. Would class never end?

She snuck a glance at the clock.

She had two choices. Stay in class or...

Clutching her stomach, she groaned loudly and fell out of her chair. She lay on the floor for a minute as her peers and sensei gathered around. He ordered the other students away. He knelt next to her. "Yuuki, are you all right?"

Miaka groaned loudly again. "I don't feel well... can I be excused?"

"Gather you things and go see the nurse. Homework is simply review." Sensei explained and stood up. He walked back to the ground as Miaka continued her little charade.

"The review is important because tomorrow we're having an oral mid-term. I expect you all to be in top shape. This means you too Yuuki. No gorging on food. Just get rest and be here ready to answer anything! And inform Hongou that the bulk of her grade rests on this oral test. If she fails, there is no makeup test."

Now Miaka really felt ill. Not only did she need to review, _NOW_ she needed to really find Yui. This was not going to be a good day for her. She missed breakfast, dropped her books outside her locker and at home she had a mound of dishes waiting for her that she neglected to clean after dinner. She had secretly hoped Keisuke would be a nice brother and do it, but no such luck of course.

With her supplies in hand, she slunk out of the classroom, still feigning pain. Once in the hallway, she exhaled in relief and straightened up. She was off the hook. At least for the duration of that dull English review. She still had other concerns.

There was a pay phone not too far from where she was. Heading in that direction, Miaka searched her bag for the right payment and arriving at the phone, deposited the correct coinage in the pay phone. Lifting the receiver, she dialled the number for Yui's house and sighed as the phone rang and rang. No one was answering.

Hanging up, Miaka kept her hand on the receiver, listening to the change return to the bottom slot for retrieval. Picking up the coins, she redeposit the coins into the phone and dialled the number for her friend's cell phone, silently scolding herself for forgetting her cell phone.

After a few rings, there was an answer. Miaka sighed.

"Yui-chan?"

The connection was a touch distorted.

"Yes? Miaka! But... how?"

"I'm using a pay phone at school."

"No... it's not that..."

"Listen Yui-chan... you need to come to English class tomorrow. We have an oral English mid-term. If you don't come, Sensei is threatening to flunk you! Yui-chan! I can't keep making excuses for you!"

There was a sigh on the other end.

"Small problem, Miaka."

"What do you need help with?"

"Get _Shijin Tenchisho_..."

"Why?" Miaka asked puzzled.

"I need you to open it and create a portal. I made a mistake this morning and I wound up in this world again. Look, don't ask any questions. I just need help. I personally don't feel like being breakfast for some kyuuketsuki."

"Yui-chan. We both know Kyuuketsuki are mythological—"

"No! Miaka, they're real and from what I know, there are three near me. I just need you to get the book..."

Yui's voice faded out. Miaka grew concerned. "Yui-chan? Yui-chan?"

"Miaka... I'm seeing things..."

She could hear her friend's breathing change. Terror laced her friend's voice.

"Hold on, Yui-chan! Oniichan has it! Or... was it Tetsuya-san?"

"I don't know! Just find it!"

"I'll go now! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"Oh god! Just hurry Miaka! I'm stuck here and the only person who is of any use is... down. Pity though. Kind of sucks. I had no choice. I needed to distract the... vampires."

"Vampires??" Miaka yelped incredulously.

"Yes. Three kyuuketsuki. One of which spoke to us to say that there were two others!"

"Yui-chan! Hold on! I'll get the book!"

Miaka slammed the receiver back onto the cradle and ran toward the front doors of the school, cutting off a teacher who was patrolling the hall. She didn't stop when she was addressed. She needed to get the book. She could only think of one possible place. She knew it could only be in one place. She had to go to the history room at the university campus.

'For once in my life, I do my homework voluntarily and now I'm out of the loop. It figures.' Miaka thought resentfully as she stood at the bus stop, out of breath. She had just missed the bus and was left having to wait for the next one.

'Why did no one bother to inform me? It would have been nice to get a call. Even if I can't go back there because of one of Yui-chan's wishes.' Miaka thought bitterly as she watched traffic rush by. It wasn't that she resented Yui's choice, she resented not being told anything.

Frustrated, Miaka kicked the sign for the bus stop, only to watch it fall over.

"_Mou_!"

At precisely that moment a car pulled up next to the curb and the passenger window was rolled down.

Leaning over, Tetsuya flashed a friendly smile at Miaka. "What are you doing here? Don't you have class?"

"Tetsuya-san! Thank god!" Miaka opened the door and climbed in, sighed in relief. "I need the book! Just don't ask!"

"I don't have it on me. It's in the room." He pulled away from the curb.

"Can't you drive any faster?" Miaka asked after a minute.

Tetsuya laughed. She was the first person to ever ask him that. Most people freaked out and demanded that he slow down to a 'reasonable' speed. He welcomed any opportunity to drive at break neck speed. "Miaka-chan, I thought you'd never ask."

Miaka's eyes were on the speedometer. She watched as the needled indicated the rapid acceleration. She bit her lip nervously. Just how much time did she had to get to the book?

'Hold on Yui-chan!'

_Elsewhere..._

Michiko accepted the drink she ordered from the vendor at the campus. She had ordered a bubble tea. Taking a larger-than-normal straw from the counter, she punctured a hole in the lid and inserted the straw. Taking a sip, she glanced around. She had come to pay her tuition in advance. She was also here to meet with a counsellor to discuss her choice for her major.

She had been early for her meeting so had decided to take a while to take a gander around the campus.

Curiously, she walked around. Her grandfather wanted her to come here to study "business" to put her in a position to take over when the time came. She knew what it meant. She didn't mind. She may be a girl but that didn't stop her from being the preferred grandchild. She outdid her male cousins in all respects. It didn't hurt that she possessed certain 'persuasive' qualities.

Her little walk through the campus got her looks. She didn't mind. She winked back at the boys. She was more than simple attractive; she was a downright bomb shell. She made no effort to keep her skirt at a modest length even when she was in class. She had long legs and she felt no desire to hide this physical quality behind the conservative length skirt that came with her school uniform.

She only enjoyed watching the drooling boys fall over themselves. She otherwise had zero interest in them. She only preferred one man. But he had been killed by the hands of someone who had supposedly been an ally of his. After that, she felt no desire to continue to work for his cause; she flitted back to the side of neutrality.

It meant that last night she found herself between a rock and a hard place as she watched two people she knew; one she even cared about fall into the clutches of a man she knew was dangerous. But she didn't have it in her to risk everything to say something. Instead, she backed out and placed faith in them to do the right thing, Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling of regret. She hated herself for her actions. She left them vulnerable to a man that was both charismatic and highly ambitious.

It was at that moment she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Something that was out of place. It had no reason to be happening yet it was. It was the emission of a red light. It was coming from the building just outside of her general vision. She knew she only turned her eyes into her peripheral vision because she felt a chi before the light.

As quickly as the light came, it vanished but the path of destruction was obvious as students fled from the scene, running in the opposite direction that she ran. She ran toward it. Instinct told her she had no choice. Something happened and she had damn well better do something about it.

She had been close, so it was less than a minute for her to run over.

Debris littered the area. The debris was composed of damaged books, paper, shelving units and the wall that had once stood opposite of the door. Glass littered the area; a window had been shattered when the wall gave out.

She carefully stepped over, covering her mouth as the dust died down. She could see through squinted eyes that someone stood there.

She could hear two voices. Two voices that she recognised in an instant.

"I'll repeat myself, give me the book!"

"No! I told you I can't! It's not here!"

"You're lying, Yuuki."

"I'm telling you the truth!"

As the dust settled, she could see the extent of the damage. In the door way stood Taka. Under a table, surrounded by the ruins of the room was Keisuke. He was lying on something but he wasn't moving. She didn't question it.

Michiko watched as Taka raised a hand.

"You can answer me and we can be done with this..."

"Or you can leave him alone!" Michiko exclaimed without giving any warning about her presence on the scene. She threw out her hand. Lightning shot out, hitting Taka square in the chest, knocking him back against the wall. Electricity crackled around her hand.

The force of the attack may have knocked Taka back but it didn't hurt him enough to deter him. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with fiery rage. "Isn't this quaint, a Seiryuu Seishi wants to fight me."

"Consider yourself lucky it's me." She pointed a finger at him and lightening shot out, narrowly missing him as Taka dodged to the side.

He glowered at her and growled, "you're interfering!"

Her eyes narrowed. 'Why can't I see his character?' She felt her own burning on her thigh. And visibly at that.

She snorted scornfully. "How so? Because I'm stopping you on a murderous rampage?"

"If he gave me the bloody book we wouldn't have this problem, would we, Soi?"

Her eyes narrowed. 'Just as I thought! Something did happen when he met with Anderson last night!'

Her eyes moved quickly over Taka. "No, we wouldn't have this problem, _Tamahome_, if you hadn't gone with Anderson last night! You and Yui could've shown some self-respect and not followed him! Especially knowing what Jonathan has told us!"

"You think I'm going to listen to a Seiryuu Seishi?"

There was a brief pause. "What do you want with the book?"

"Colonel Anderson wants it."

"I'm never going to tell you where it is!" Keisuke declared stubbornly. "Even if I did know! I won't, ever! If it falls into the wrong hands, the world is going to fall into chaos."

Taka smirked evilly. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Michiko paled. "You gave in to him! You're one of them!"

Taka held up a hand.

"You...bastard!" Michiko growled. She recognised that symbol anywhere. Those who took the Blood Oath had that scar. "And after you complained about O'Kelly being a two-faced some of a fucking bitch! At least he's got more fucking honour than you!"

"He has honour? He killed my family."

"That was in the other world!"

"Really? What about the car crash? According to witnesses, it was him and he was with Yui. They were driving a beige Toyota."

"He drives a motorcycle and even you know that!"

Noting that Michiko had sufficiently distracted Taka, Keisuke crawled out from under the table and quickly moved away, clutching the book to his chest, silently thanking Michiko. He made a mental note to give her a proper thanks for this later.

Unfortunately for Keisuke, Taka noticed and prepared to strike.

Michiko immediately cast lightning, which caught Taka's chi ball.

The two forces of energy collided, leaving both Seishi to put their whole strength into the brunt of the attack.

Her eyes narrowed into thin slits. She could see Taka wasn't as strong as he claimed to be. Sweat already began to form in beads on his forehead. She knew she was far stronger than he was. She had tuned into her powers early on and had learned to control it well, but she knew she was no match for some other reincarnated Seishi.

She smirked gleefully. "What's the matter, getting tired?" Her voice was filled with sugary mockery. She coyly inclined her head and smiled nastily. She could go all day. In fact, she just very well might. She planned on pushing Taka to his limits. She wanted him to not only give up in exhaustion but to take the brunt of her attack when he did.

Michiko felt a shift and she smiled; it was a small inward smile. She knew what it meant. She had the upper hand. She could begin the second phase of her push to drive Taka to the edge. Though she didn't understand her desire to at this time. Perhaps it was because he had wantonly attacked someone who didn't deserve it or maybe because she truly resented those who worked for Tenkou since it was one of those very people that stole the person dearest from her.

Images of her blond beloved flashed before her eyes. His long, lustrous blond hair blowing in the wind. His gentle touch as he caressed her face; those sullen deep sapphire blue pools of pure raw emotion.

'Jakob. We couldn't speak, but I know I loved you and you loved me. But they stole you from me and now he's one of them! He's no different than them!' Michiko burned with rage as she held her own. Tears glistened in the ducts of her eyes, threatening to fall, though she didn't notice. Her anger was too great.

Tears streaked down her face. 'I'll make them all pay for what they did to you! I will follow you to the end of the earth! You know I love you and I always have. Even when you couldn't find the words in my language, I could still hear them in my heart! As long as your name rides the eternal winds, I will not rest! I will not let another one of these rogues hurt someone I know is innocent!'

Her tears fell freely. "Jakob... this is for you! I will get him! He hurt you once, he would have hurt you again if he could have! I will not let him hurt you or anyone else!" Her voice quivered as she spoke aloud, though only audible enough for her ears to hear.

Taka was still resisting. He was sweating heavily, obvious under a lot of strain from holding his position.

'Damn him!' Michiko shook with fury. She no longer felt any desire to hold back. Her grey eyes formed thin cat-like slits as a hiss slip between her teeth. She would finish him off if it was the last thing she did. She had no desire to see him living at the end of this.

"Why don't you give up, Soi? You're only a Seiryuu Seishi. You're doomed to die a meaningless death anyway. You are not going to win against me. I will win because I'm just that much better than you." Taka smirked, malevolence dancing gleefully in his eyes.

"You and your ilk will never win!!" Michiko cried, her voice cracking. She wasn't going to lose to this little boy. He may have been able to hold out this long, but this was the end of the road for him.

The character on her thigh shone brightly. The character on Taka's forehead didn't show.

With each additional ounce of her energy she put into her attack, her character began to glow more brilliantly. She wasn't going to let him get to her. She could clearly see the progress. She was dominating the situation. Her lightening didn't just hold the ball of chi at bay, it was driving it back. Her lightening was a single bolt trying to control the single ball, yet it was far stronger.

She needed to make that last push. Yet she couldn't find it. Even if Taka wasn't as strong as she was; he had a certain quality about him; a _je ne sais quois_.

'Why won't he just die! This is getting on my nerves!'

A third chi entered the area. It moved too quickly.

She didn't have time to consider it. At that moment, a white streak shot behind Taka. A split second later, the red ball of chi vanished and the lightning hit Taka. The full force of the lightening not only set him flying, it left him on the ground, electricity surrounding him body. He lay on the ground, violently convulsing.

Michiko could only stare ahead at her victim. Her breathing was rapid. Her pulse race. She had won, yet she felt as though that she hadn't done it alone, and the white streak that flew behind Taka certainly proved it.

Catching her breath, she took a step back as she looked around, searching for the source of the white streak. She had felt it. Only now could she divert her attention to it. She had never before felt this chi. It was unfamiliar. It was not that of any Seiryuu or Suzaku Seishi.

"Who's there?" she called cautiously. Her eyes continued to rest on Taka, who finally stopped violently convulsing, passing out. He was still breathing though. It was evidently laboured. The brunt of the attack had only injured him severely. It had been non-fatal.

From some rubble emerged a gorgeous Doberman. It appeared to be a purebred animal. It possessed all the physical qualities of the breed, but there was something that set it apart from the rest. On its left ear was a white patch. Not just a splotch but a well defined character. It was a white character; the character for 'rain net'.

'What the...?' She could only stare at the animal.

The dog turned its eyes to Michiko and trotted over. It then stopped in front of her and sat. It inclined its head and raised a paw, trilling. The animal wanted her to take its paw.

Hesitantly she took the dog's paw.

A moment past and the dog removed it paw and rose up on all four paws and barked.

The animal then winked at her. A white light surrounded it and in its place appeared a person; Kieran, or rather Karl.

Michiko gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth. She had never known he was a Seishi.

She knew he spoke German. Yet she could only manage at this point to stick to her mother tongue. "You..."

Kieran smiled sweetly at her. "Good day. I take you're surprised."

"Y-yes..." she replied slowly, not attempting to hide her shock.

"Not that I blame you. I've made a point in concealing myself. I didn't want anyone to find out."

Her eyes narrowed sceptically. "Why'd you help me?"

"I loathe Tenkou, and since I have a hit order on my head, I have no reason to act anymore." Kieran explained coolly as he absently knelt, picking up a damaged book from the ground.

One thing was evident, Shannon shared his mannerisms with Kieran, even if neither realised it. Michiko could see this much. Everything from how each man comported himself to the very tone. The only difference she could note was in the core expression. Where Kieran had softer features and a warm smile, Shannon had hardened features and a smile from him was simply a smirk.

He glanced at her. "Plus I need to protect the book. They want it. If they get their hands on it, it will spell the end. Especially since they will then be able to manipulate the Miko and have her gather the Maijin."

Michiko folded her arms over her chest.

Kieran sighed. "I know you don't trust me. That's my fault. I never wanted to be involved, but I was threatened. I never wanted any of this to happen. I only stayed on because I wanted to help my wife get our children back."

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Anderson knew where one of the boys were; the other only came to my attention when my half-brother was on diplomatic tour. My daughter... I never even had a chance to find her and now she's caught in the crossfire. She is the most vulnerable here."

"Why?"

"She's the newest priestess. And if they get the book, I shudder to think..."

"Then you...never..."

Kieran placed one hand on each of her shoulders, staring her right in the end. His voice was filled with conviction, his every word laced with urgency. "Michiko, listen to me. My real name is Kieran Tracey, I'm Byakko Seishi Amefuri. I never wanted to get involved with Tenkou ever again, especially after what happened during our time. I'm only caught in this because of something utterly stupid I did as a young man and now I'm paying for it.

"All of us are paying for it. You lost someone dear, didn't you? I could feel the negativity in your chi even before I could intervene. You can't let it consume you. You have to channel it into something else. I know you don't trust me because of everything I've done but I had little choice. I ruined my life and because of it I hurt people who should have never been hurt."

It was easy for Michiko to see just how physically identical he was to his elder sons. Even though he was years older and age showed in the corners of his eyes in the form of crows' feet and his brow should the effects of worry over the years, she could easily see he had been extremely attractive.

She sighed and looked away. It was strange. She had known this man was powerful and held influence. She never knew just what he had used his influence for. One thing was clear, he had been working from the inside to bring down the establishment.

"I have one question..."

"Yes?" He removed his hands from her shoulders.

"Why is the book so important to Tenkou? If he's so powerful why does he need the book?"

"It's a matter of control. As long as anyone against him has it, they can control the outcome. Especially if those people have easy access to Nyosei no Miko."

From the shadows, Keisuke walked over, clutching the book. He had a couple of scratches on his person but other than that, he was fine. He hesitantly eyed the two. He first turned to Michiko and bowed deeply. He owed his life to her. She had put her life on the line for him. She had taken Taka head on, without any thought as to whether or not she could do it. He didn't know if she could, but it seemed that in the end, like all the other Seiryuu Seishi he met to date had no problem holding in their own. In fact, it seemed that Seiryuu had been quite generous when he reincarnated his Seishi.

Wordlessly he turned and bowed to the man. He didn't understand a single word but gathered that this man had been involved and helped Michiko dispose of the threat. Keisuke never in his wildest dreams imagined that he would have been attacked so violently by his sister's beloved; least of all over the book.

Kieran looked to Michiko and pointed at Keisuke. "He has the book?"

"Yes. He took a great risk in protecting it." She replied, answering. "It's in good hands with him and Kajiwara-san. They've always been the ones who have kept watch over the book."

Kieran nodded, his expression sombre. "How is Nyosei no Miko doing?"

Michiko turned to Keisuke and held out her hands, requesting the book from him. He complied and told her what page to turn to. Doing so, she was reluctant to flip through the book. It was her first time ever holding it. It was strange to think that her world was described so vividly in a book. To think that she had in this world been just a character on the pages of this book unnerved her. She cautiously opened the cover, her finger tracing the words on the cover first.

'My whole world; everything I ever knew was just in writing in this world. To the people here, I was just a character on the pages of a book. Everything I ever knew and loved was just ink on a page...' she thought morosely. She slowly flipped it open, coming to the introduction of the book. She knew she had to look further but the shock of holding this text was just too great. Each page told the story of the Miko; it spoke of her Seishi. The words painted a grand mural of a world she had once known.

Slowly turned the page over to the next and the next until she arrived when Keisuke had left off. Here she felt her heart stop. She could only stare at the page. To think that as everything in her old world happened, it appeared on the page, as if being written by an invisible hand.

She dropped the book. Her heart was pounding in her ears; her pulse was racing. All colour drained from her face. She felt the world around her come to a grinding halt. It was too surreal to even begin to contemplate.

The book fell to the ground. It bounced off the ground and landed shut.

Her hands clapped over her mouth. She could only stare at the text as it lay on the ground. Her hands shook. Disbelief danced in her eyes. To think that her whole world was just in this ancient manuscript was completely unfathomable.

Kieran knelt, picking up the text. He didn't speak the language, nor did he understand the characters on the front of the book or any of the characters within the book. He couldn't begin to comprehend just what Michiko was feeling at this moment.

Taking Michiko's hands in his, Keisuke stared her in the eye. "What's wrong, Michiko-san?"

"My...my whole world; everything... my... everything; my memories... everything... was... just in a book. Everything I knew... even myself... everything about me... was on the pages of that..." her voice quivered. Fear and uncertainty danced in her eyes.

"I thought you knew..." He whispered, wanting to comfort her. He didn't remember seeing Shannon react this. In retrospect it was almost strange. Keisuke remembered seeing the book vanishing from Miaka's hands, yet days later it turned up in the history in the hands of Shannon who sat in the shadows.

"I... I...I thought it was a portal. But; the text... it's appearing on the page!" she sobbed. Before this, she had never put thought into the book itself. Seeing and holding it invoked a range of emotions. She didn't understand any of it.

Not knowing what else to do, Keisuke embraced Michiko, stroking her hair.


	45. Chapter 43

**A/N**: Before you ask, we're a long way from home. This story will not be finished for a long time. I'm quite surprised that it made it this far. I thought I would have given up on it a long time ago, but appears that I'm now on my second wind. I have a pretty good of what I want to happen. I've been planning it out in my head for a while. Hopefully this will turn out as I am envisioning.

At this point, I've also come to realise that I have a shit load of characters (some of which are original). If anyone feels lost, let me know and I will upload a listing of all my characters. I won't reveal how some characters are connected to others because that will just spoil the story.

Also, a note about possible pairings, you will be happy to know that I will not pair Miaka with anyone who she doesn't belong with. At this point, I kind of regret killing Terry. He would have been good for this, but alas, he's dead. I will also admit at this time, I hate Taka. I will not be keeping Miaka and Taka together. Keisuke and Michiko is a possible pair. As for others, I can't say yet.

Now you may return to your regular programming.

* * *

**Chapter 43**

_Nowadays moon day suffers  
Today I rise without reason  
Today I rise and I do not see  
That way any solution…_

(_Día Luna...Día Pena_, Clandestino, Manu Chao)

The overwhelming repugnant smell of burning rubber wafted through the air. The car finally came to a stop, but it couldn't be described as a text book example of how to stop a car. Rather it was an example of how not to park. Several people had dodged out of the way of the oncoming vehicle when it was about to come to a stop at the school. Tetsuya brought his car to a screeching halt, narrowly missing taking out a sign post when he finally hit the brakes. Behind the car there were two pair of tire markings leading to where he had parked the car hastily.

Miaka was already undoing her seat belt before Tetsuya even began to bring the vehicle to a less-than-graceful stop. The car had only stopped when her door flew open. In her haste, she didn't remember to close the door behind. Instead, she ran straight for the building where the room was. There was an entrance near the room, which made it easier to get to.

"Miaka-chan, wait!" Tetsuya called after her, only to climb over to the passenger side and exist that door, shutting it behind him. He clutched his keys in his hand. He pressed the alarm on the key chain while he ran in the same direction she did.

He cursed as she ran into a horde of students running in the opposite direction. He hated moving against a large crowd, especially when it was obvious that there was pandemonium afoot. He quickly lost Miaka who proved herself to be adept at weaselling her way through thick crowds of panic-struck people. He knew he would just have to get there eventually, even if the trek there was wrought with obstacles.

Miaka pushed through the crowd. It was no different than when she had to find Yui over two years ago. In fact, it brought back the same feelings of intense urgency to get to the source. She pushed through, elbowing her way through the large crowd of fleeing students. Luckily it didn't take too long to get through. Once she managed to get through, she found some security guards near the premises preventing people from getting any closer. As before, she ignored them and ran ahead. If the police couldn't stop her then, cops for rent couldn't either.

She stopped in her tracks suddenly staring at the scene in front of her. The wall was completely blown off. There was debris everywhere. She couldn't tell what had happened but she could see Keisuke taking Michiko into his arms and a man who looked like the twins standing near the pair. As she drew closer, she realised that it was the room that sustained significant damage. There were books and pages everywhere.

She walked slowly, stopping next to Keisuke. She eyed him concernedly. "Oniichan... what happened?"

Keisuke, still stroking Michiko's hair glanced up, meeting his sister's gaze. "I was attacked in the room. I didn't get hurt. I managed to hide under the table."

Miaka could see the dust on his face and the few scratches he did; some of which were mainly on his arms. The scratches were nothing worth being concerned over. If any were bleeding it was not noteworthy. Her gaze shifted to Michiko, who was holding onto Keisuke.

"Is she ok?" Miaka inquired, her voice laced with worry.

Kieran picked the book off the ground. He was holding it at the moment and his lack of Kanji knowledge as well as knowledge of the language kept him unable to understand the meaning of the text. He simply knew that the book was important and that if it wound up in the hands of Tenkou it would spell disaster.

Keisuke shrugged. "I don't know what happened... she picked up the book and broke down."

Tapping Miaka on the shoulder, Kieran wordlessly handed her the book.

He hadn't understood what she had said before and simply addressed her in English. "You're the Priestess of Suzaku." It wasn't a question, but rather an affirmation of facts.

She nodded, accepting the book, unaware that at this moment someone was watching this handover and was displeased to see the text being handed over to anyone but his master. She gladly accepted the text book, never noticing that she was being closely observed.

"Yes I am." She bowed, removing the book from his hands. "I'm Yuuki Miaka."

"I remember completely." Kieran smiled knowingly at her and winked.

She briefly remembered seeing him but hadn't made the complete connection between the first meeting and this one. She hadn't paid much attention, as she had kept the bulk of her attention on Taka, much to the ire of those around her. She didn't remember seeing him in his alternative form and subsequently had no idea why he knew who she was without her saying anything.

He stepped back, giving the observer an unobstructed view of the person holding the book.

With a single purpose in mind, a red light flashed from where he lay.

Out of the corner of her eye, Michiko noticed. She could see it unfolding in slow motion. She pushed off Keisuke, turning to push Miaka out of the way. Her hand was outstretched but her reflexes were too slow. She could see the ball of chi incoming, and wondered if she would be even able to deflect it away from Miaka in time. She was close, she knew it, but it wasn't enough...

At the same moment, Kieran too noticed and sprung into action. He assumed one of his more threatening forms, the form of a white tiger. Instinct drove him to pick it in this situation. His eyes moved between where Miaka stood, unknowing of the danger flying her way and the source. Out of the corner of his golden eyes he could see Michiko moving to get Miaka out of the way of imminent danger.

Again, the reaction was all but too late as Miaka was struck in the stomach by a large swath of turbo light. She hadn't seen it. She had been oblivious to the light that twinkled briefly before it was fired off The impact knocked her to the ground. Her grip on the book was loosened and it fell from her hands as she fall back, lying curled in a ball on the ground, groaning in pain.

Keisuke moved next to his sister, holding her closely; protectively. He couldn't do much other than let the two Seishi who were present do their bit. He trusted Michiko to stave off the attack; the other, he wasn't sure what would happen. In fact, Keisuke was sceptical as he kept only seeing Kieran as a little lap cat; as Tama. Cute, furry and utterly worthless in combat. After all, what could a little cat do?

Those thoughts were quickly taken back when a low, feral growl emitted from the tiger. It moved protectively in front of Miaka and using a massive paw, swatted the book away from Miaka and then picked it up in its teeth and stared straight at the source that fired the ball of chi, challenging it. The tiger moved away, circling as it kept its eyes on the prize.

The tiger was on Michiko's side. That much was evident, but just what would it be able to do? She had never worked with something that changed forms. She had worked previously with Ashitare but it could only be considered a beast with some man-like qualities. She was entirely unsure as to the extent of his powers. He was clear though that he was well in control of those powers.

After a minute, she realised the tiger was wilfully engaging Taka in combat; taunting him, attempting to provoke the short-tempered young man. The tiger appeared to be skilled at getting Taka to fire a shot then dodging to the side, hunkering to the ground or leaping over it. Every dodge was skilful. Each time it landed, it again looked at Taka and its eyes taunted him; the tiger knew it could get away.

It took another minute to realise that the tiger was attempting to learn the movements of Taka because seconds later, it threw the book into the air and was engulfed in a streak of white light. When the light dissipated, in the place of the animal stood the doppelganger of Taka. Well, as much as it could be considered under the circumstances.

In place of the symbol of 'oni', was nothing. There was a white light glowing on his ear; the character for 'rain net'.

The book began to drop from the sky.

Taka noticed. He glanced up then at his doppelganger then back at the sky. Then back at his doppelganger.

Shadow Taka clenched his fists and smirked. He raised a hand, indicating for Taka to attack, if he was a man. He circled as the other did.

At that moment, Taka ran, and grabbed the book. His doppelganger leapt into action and caught Taka off-guard with a faked left and a right hook to the jaw. Taka stumbled from the impact, dropping the book between them. He briefly lost interest in the text. He wasn't about to be insulted by this mirror image of himself.

"Shit!" Michiko cursed under her breath.

How was she supposed to tell them apart? Better yet, how was she supposed to deal with those course of action? She had fought alongside, Tomo before, but at least he had been moderately predictable. For one, he never took on the appearance of the enemy; Kieran did.

Out of their collective line of sight, Tetsuya appeared. He moved next to Keisuke and Miaka; quietly asking what was happening. He wasn't able to do much either except just watch.

Her eyes darted between the two. Kieran had indeed tapped into the essence of Taka's inert power. Neither was the underdog and neither had the upper hand. They were strategically matched. She wondered just what Kieran hoped to achieve through such an unconventional tactic.

After a moment she realised he was hoping to distract Taka into thinking that this fight would be a series of synchronous movements. In fact, Kieran seemed intent on letting Taka think there would be an opening.

Then unexpectedly, Kieran did a back flip, throwing Taka's attack sequence off.

Noting the move immediately, Michiko warmed up her attack and fired a shot in. It hit Taka's shoulder, enough to get his attention, but not enough to do significant damage. She cursed under her breath. She wanted to hurt him so badly for what he had done. He would pay for his sins.

Taka could have attacked further, but he deduced quickly that at this point he was outnumbered and if he wanted to get his hands on the book for his master, he would have to find a new way of getting it. He would have to attack at a later date when there wasn't someone around who was an incredible mimic.

He knew he didn't stand a chance; not with this new opponent at hand. He couldn't deal with someone who was a mimic and knew how to shape-shift at will. He never got used to Tomo's under-handed fighting style. He could deal with the magic slingers and the weapon wielders. Those with unique powers that messed with his head were another story entirely.

He stepped back and disappeared.

Sighing in relief, Kieran relaxed his chi. He dropped to his knees, clearly out of breath. Michiko could tell instantly that while Kieran could maintain his form during combat, it hurt his chi and reduced his defences when he finally tuned out.

He glanced at her and smiled weakly. "At least it didn't kill me. I can mimic weaker Seishi but if I try and mimic someone as strong as me or stronger and I stay in form too long..." He trailed off and shrugged.

She slipped an arm around him and helped him to his feet as he used his empty hand to pick up the book.

"Are you all right?"

"I just need to rest. I'm usually fine if I don't use my chi when I take on the form of another." He smiled at her and dryly added. "I've been through worse."

She helped him over to where Keisuke was holding Miaka; Tetsuya was next to them.

"Is she going to be ok?" Kieran asked, looking to Tetsuya and Keisuke for answers.

Tetsuya stood up and shifted some of Kieran's weight off Michiko. He sighed. "She's a fighter, though she's unconscious right now. Hopefully didn't see who attacked her."

"That's for the best." Kieran replied sadly.

Keisuke picked his sister up and turned to the other three. He knew Kieran wouldn't answer, but he only needed Michiko and Tetsuya to understand. "We should go. I don't know what's going to happen, but frankly, this isn't going to be good."

Before Michiko and Tetsuya could make him walk forward, Kieran slipped out of their grip, taking on the form of Tama. He glanced up at the two with weary, golden eyes. He imploringly stared up and mewed plaintively, pawing at Tetsuya's foot. He wanted to be carried. Bending over, Tetsuya picked up the cat that had been pawing his foot and let it ride on his shoulder, while Michiko picked up the book that had been left on the ground after Kieran shifted forms and became Tama.

She admittedly felt strange when she held the book. She knew her old world was within the pages of this text. She would get used to the idea, but it still felt strange. She didn't know if she could ever get used to the idea.

_Elsewhere..._

The result had been bad. Despite Katsui's best efforts and the intervention by Ariboshi, Meike had been thrown into the prison of the Kosei palace. That wasn't the worst part. She was stripped of any chance of possibly being named the Miko despite the pleas of Katsui, who knew in his heart that this girl was indeed the Miko. Even then, that wasn't the worse part. It kept getting worse. She had what little possessions from her world stripped from her before she was thrown in the cell. All she had were the clothes she wore.

Albeit, it wasn't the worse of it; the worst part was the kangaroo court that saw her arbitrarily sentenced. The 'prosecution' had been the captain of the guard, who seemed to have it in for her and was more than happy to tell the emperor what he wanted to hear, and not the facts.

So, here she was now. Behind bars and not a hope in hell.

She sighed sullenly, and leaned against the cold, stone wall, staring at the rusting grate that served as the only doorway into the dank, urine soaked hell hole the guards called a 'cell'. Nary a speck of light trickled in, for it was night time. The steel bars on the tiny window above only served to tell her if it was night or day, nothing more. It was too high up for her to get at.

Many a times the light came and the light went. Day past into night and night once more into day, though that was all she knew. For all she knew, it could have been a shadow passing before the window. Her concept of time was warped. She didn't even have her watch any more. It would have given her some idea of time, but instead she was lost in the labyrinth of time, not knowing anything. The moments ticked away; the minutes that made up each dull day she spent alone in this cell.

She glanced at her forearms.

Was it possible that the only way out was suicide?

She wanted to cry but she couldn't.

She drew her legs closer to her body, wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. She needed a line of support, but she had none. She couldn't even reach Shannon and Jonathan. She needed to hear the comforting voice of someone familiar and close to her.

_Aoisora Marketplace_

He was alone, but he wanted it to be like that. He wanted to look around the market place by himself. He wanted to do so without the company of anyone because he was about to go into one of the worse parts of the city. It was frequently avoided by even the toughest of the city guards. It was controlled by gangs, thugs, slave owners, traffickers, thieves and every other wicked lowlife known to man. He knew his way around it. He acquired his medicine from an elderly man in this area. It was the only place he could get the forbidden drugs.

But today, he wasn't here on official business. He had all the boyaku he needed; he didn't need any kodoku or any other illicit herb or remedy that had been outlawed by the emperor. All herbs from Kutou were outlawed. Peddlers from those nations often operated under the table, and Sairou wasn't favoured either. The emperor ran a tight ship and refused to allow anything into his nation. Guards were given permission to attack merchants who dared to pimp such goods.

Arriving at his destination, Katsui stood in front of the wooden door and sighed. He hated going into this pub, but what choice did he have? He needed the help of one of the most notorious criminals in the city. He needed to spring his Miko. He had no other choice. The emperor was beyond reasoning and the captain of the guard had the emperor eating out of the palm of his hand.

He hadn't been able to see her in over two weeks. Access was restricted.

The only victory that Katsui got was to ensure that she did get fed at least once a day and that she had a chamber pot. Those that came only after a few days. Before then, she had nothing. He felt badly for her. He couldn't do much for her, and Ariboshi was busy trying to figure out the easiest way to get the Seishi together. They had no choice but to divide up their efforts.

He felt so helpless.

Sighing dejectedly, he pushed open the door to the pub and watched in. Several pairs of eyes turned to him. Under normal circumstances he would have been considered poorly dressed and nothing more than a mere peasant. But here, it was different. His clear appearance made him stand out. He had to remain on heightened alert. He didn't know what to expect here.

Several thugs rose up, drawing out their knives. They surrounded Katsui.

He smirked and whipped out his staff. He may have been born destined to heal his way to greatness but that didn't mean he didn't know a thing or two about scrapping. He had been born into a poor family and came to the city when the farmland showed no promise. He knew what his destiny was. He left to fulfil it. He sent money home whenever he could, but he hadn't been home in years.

"You want a fight? Bring it on!" He challenged. He wasn't afraid of a few thugs. They were just bullies. Nothing he couldn't handle. It was all routine for him. Kick some ass, get business done and go back to his little crap shack on the fringe of the marketplace.

"Shui, you ought to know that these ruffians don't stand a chance." A short, rough man said. He held a large mug in his hand. His eyes were blood shot, his nose was red. He had been drinking, but one thing was obvious, despite his intoxication, he spoke coherently and walked without stumbling. "Just leave those degenerates and come sit with me."

The man glared at the others, who backed off, allowing Katsui to walk over and sit with his acquaintance.

He man took a long swig from the mug and slammed it on the table. "I heard you were looking for me, Shui. What can I do you for?"

Katsui sat in the chair adjacent to the man. He didn't want to be overheard in case someone decided to get any ideas and sequel to the imperial watch. He leaned in and quietly explained, "I need to breach security at the imperial palace. I need to spring a girl from the prison there."

"I'd heard rumours about some girl coming here and challenging the emperor. Didn't she also make an ass of that damn uppity twit that calls himself the captain of the guard?" The man laughed uproariously.

Katsui smiled. He had met with the man before, but it hadn't been under the most pleasant circumstances. He made a mental note that if he ever had to deal with this man again that he would do so in the pub when the man was likely to be intoxicated.

"Yea, but the emperor set up a kangaroo court and now she's in prison."

"Shui, you've got an honest. So, I'll tell you what. I'll get you the tools to spring the lass. But you need to do something for me."

Katsui inwardly groaned. Nothing was free in the world. Everything was _quid pro quo_. He didn't want to do it, but what choice did he have in the matter? It couldn't possibly be that bad, could it?

"What do you need?"

The man pushed the mug into Katsui hands. "Get me a refill."

Katsui laughed amused. He stood up from the chair he had sat in. "One fine cup of sake coming up for you." He picked up the mug from the table and assured the man he would return in a minute and that the next round was on him.

"That's why I like you. I've heard good things about you from Xue."

Xue. That was Katsui's main contact when it came to get various illicit herbs and remedies that had otherwise been banned for general use in the small kingdom. To think he got such a glowing recommendation from a man who thought of Katsui as nothing more than a worthless waste of human life was oddly reassuring albeit strange. Then again, it was all about image with the scum of society.

Approaching the bar, he placed the mug down and waved at the innkeeper who was serving up the liquor. He waited for the innkeeper to come over.

"Yeah? Whatcha wantin'?"

"My friend needs his sake refilled."

The innkeeper looked up over at the man who smiled, revealing yellow and missing teeth; and snorted derisively. He reluctantly refilled the mug. "That fuckin' louse..." the rest of the comment was incoherent. It was obvious he didn't care for Katsui's contact but wasn't going to say anything more.

Thanking the innkeeper, Katsui dropped the appropriate amount on the counter, much to the surprise of the innkeeper who wasn't used to someone paying upfront.

Retrieving the mug from the counter, Katsui made his way back over to the man, who greedily took the mug and took a long swig before slamming the mug on the table. "Now that's good sake. Good work boy." He sat back. "So, you want to spring that pretty girl of yours?"

"Yes."

The man reached into a large sack next to the table and pulled out a small kit wrapped in what appeared to be a thin leather case. It was tied off with a simple leather string. He placed it on the table and slid it over to Katsui. "Here you are, the finest tools of my trade. All the tools you need to spring someone from the imperial prison."

Taking it in his hands, Katsui undid the tie around the bundle, allowing it to open. He unfolded it and examined the tools he had acquired. It appeared to be an assortment of lock picks in varying sizes and shapes.

The man pointed a fat, stubby finger at one of the picks. "I reckon this one may get your pretty girl out of that prison. It's standard fare for any imperial palace. They tend to use bigger keys than the peasants."

Katsui nodded and picked up the pick, examining it. One thing was for certain, it was crafted by skilled hands. He slipped it into the folds of his sash. He then folded the leather case back up carefully and fastened the tie back around the case. He hoped that this was all he would need. He didn't know how else he could get her out of that prison. The guards wouldn't let the keys out of their sights.

Taking the small kit in his hands, he stood up, profusely thanking the man, who assured him it was nothing but encouraged Katsui to return if he needed any more supplies, but those ones would not be given pro bono; those would have to be quid pro quo.

With the small kit in hand, Katsui walked for the door. He could feel the eyes of many of the patrons following him as he walked for the door. He refused to look at any of them. The last time he met their gaze was when he came into the pub, and he knew how that turned out. It would be best to just ignore them. They were drunken rogues anyway; not worth his time.

He didn't look back as he pushed the door open and left the pub behind him.

He now stood, facing the back alley that was just off the main thoroughfare for the marketplace. He turned in the direction of the market. He couldn't carry his kit out in the open. As a precaution before he took another step forward, he slipped the kit into the folds of his sash. He didn't want to draw attention to himself. He needed to get back to the palace in one piece.

Once certain it was secure in his sash, Katsui set for the marketplace. In order to return to the palace he needed to take the road through the marketplace. It was crowded with wall to wall people. There were merchants on all sides; people going about their business. Children ran in and out; weaving between the people who walked through the marketplace.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a merchant selling female attire. Katsui entertained the idea of having Meike switch her attire during the break out to briefly confuse the guards. It could work because they would be looking for a woman with otherworldly clothing. It would work especially if he could get Meike to act demure and humble. Though he somehow doubt that latter idea would take.

He approached the merchant and instantly realised who it was. It was another person who he frequently aided.

The man was happy to see him and welcomed the healer with open arms.

"Shui! It's so good to see you out here! My wife couldn't be better! Especially after you gave her that herbal remedy. You're a genius my boy!" the merchant proclaimed, as he placed an arm around Katsui and led him behind the stall. He smiled broadly. "So what are you doing these days? Last I heard you got the Miko!"

"Yes I did. But..." Katsui trailed off.

"But what?" the merchant's brow furrowed. He leaned in. "what happened? Something happened to her, didn't it?"

"Yes. The emperor didn't like her attitude and now she's in the imperial prison."

"Well?"

"Well...what?"

"You going to spring the girl? We need her to summon Nyosei! I can't take any more of these attacks. My supplies are going to dry up if I can't get any more of that silk from Konan. The main roads are being plagued with attacks by some evil force."

"I was actually about to do that." Katsui replied quietly. "I have the tools. But, I'm afraid that even if I did, she might stand out after I do all of that."

The merchant motioned for his eldest son to deal with some people who had come to the stall. Once sure that the potential buyers were engaged, the merchant turned to Katsui. "I think I got a glimpse of her the other day when she stood up to that arrogant captain of the guard. She doesn't look too tall. She's a skinny little thing, isn't she?"

Katsui nodded. "Yes."

The merchant walked over and picked up a simple attire and handed it to Katsui. "This should do. Normally it's several silver pieces, but if you can guarantee that we'll still be able to use your services when we need them, this is yours. We need the Miko to summon Nyosei. I'm sure you know that every little bit helps."

He pressed it into Katsui's hands. He then leaned in and whispered, "between us, the people are beginning to hate the emperor and the captain of the guard. They believe that they don't want peace here and that they be working for Tenkou. The people are growing restless and they may revolt. They need the Miko to summon Nyosei. They haven't lost hope yet."

Accepting it, Katsui tucked it under his arm and nodded. "Tell anyone who is planning to revolt against the emperor that the Seishi and Miko support them. We are still trying to find the rest, but if they know of any Seishi to have those Seishi come forward immediately. We can't stand to lose any ground."

The merchant nodded. He then glanced around. He raised a hand and disappeared for a minute and reappeared with three other merchants. The merchant introduced the other three and explained to them who Katsui was and that he was indeed going to free the Miko.

One of the merchants, a map merchant said, "It's good to know that the Seishi have principles. Tell you want, I want to help out as well. I have heard the stories of the legends. I've always wanted to help out. Tell you want, Katsui-san, I have maps of all the nations. I can supply you with maps. This will give you options when trying to find the others. It will also help you plan the escape route.

"I have a small house near the marketplace. Once you spring the Miko, come by and I'll help you plan your escape from the city. It's best to go undercover of night."

"Hold on, isn't there a meeting at your house tonight?" a second merchant asked.

"Yes, yes there is. But having the Miko there would be perfect. It will give our cause hope."

Katsui sighed, wondering if it would work. "Are you sure it's a good idea? She's... unique."

"I heard she's the belly fire that our revolt needs." The map merchant remarked. He smirked. "After all, she's the only person I've ever seen stand up to that pompous asshole that calls himself the captain of the guard. I don't know much about her, but if that's how she acts. She's all right in my book."

There was a general consensus amongst the merchants. Katsui wondered if they knew what they were going to be getting themselves into. He didn't know Meike that well, but from what he knew so far, she was fiercely independent. Then again, on second thought, she just might be what the doctor ordered.

Katsui smiled. As much as he was enjoying this banter, he needed to get to the prison and get the girl out before it was too late. "Thanks for your help, fellows. I'll ensure that she is with me when I come by later. I'll try and get Ariboshi to come as well. Though she is likely on official business at this time."

"Katsui-san, we're counting on you." The merchant replied, as he led Katsui out to the thoroughfare. He kept an arm around Katsui's shoulders. "You know where the house is, right?"

"Yes, it's five doors east of mine."

"That's my boy."

"Give your wife my regards."

After a quick goodbye and another profuse thanks, Katsui weaved into the crowd and vanished, quickly making his way to the imperial palace. He didn't have any time to lose. He needed to get Meike out of that cell as soon as he could.

_Back at the palace..._

Ariboshi had given up on using conventional methods. She needed something more than just her wits about her. She needed the scroll. The scroll contained everything that was known about each Seishi, albeit limited to riddles and vague descriptions. It would certain be better than anything else she had been trying to use to date. With it, she would be able to find the Seishi quickly.

One 'problem' existed. The scroll was perpetually under watch. For Ariboshi, it wasn't so much so much as it was a challenge. She could simply manipulate her way to the scroll. It required the full use of her telepathic skills as the scroll was not just under lock and key; it was watched over by some of the finest guards the emperor had. It was knowledge amongst scholars that the scroll of Suzaku had vanished and turned up in enemy hands. No one was about to take that chance here.

Her immediate researched yielded limited results, but enough for her to work with. She knew where the scroll was stored. She had also observed that the guards rotated shifts every five hours. When it changed over, there was a brief dialogue between the guards and then the previous on duty guard would leave.

She had 'observed' this over two days. She couldn't attack right away. She needed to wait for Katsui to secure the goods to free Meike from the prison before she could take the scroll. He had gone to the marketplace to meet with a mysterious individual. That was all she knew, or at least wanted to know. She didn't like keeping her mind open to all the ideal mental chatter around her; it often got to be too much.

At the moment, she was focused on the single guard that guarded the scroll.

She smirked. During the two days she had observed the different guards, she had tuned in to their thoughts to learn how each one thought. Some thought their jobs were important, most were indifferent. The one on duty today had just been assigned to the post.

'He's not happy about guarding some piece of paper. He seems to think he's too important for this. Perhaps I can get him to bend to my will.' She reasoned. This would work nicely.


	46. Chapter 44

**A/N**: Wow, that took a while to write. Though, I guess writing several fanfics at once can delay the production a bit, can't it?

I'm sorry if people were hoping for this chapter sooner. I just found myself in the mood to write a different genre. I particularly wanted to write for another fandom for a couple of weeks. I didn't have the inspiration I needed to keep this chapter rolling, so I decided to channel my energies elsewhere until I could finish this the way I wanted it to be done.

This chapter may not as good as others, but I need it as a bridge to the next chapter. I haven't decided yet on certain things. But, if you're lucky, I may find what I need, when that happens, I will be able to close the gap between what I have in chronological sequence and what I have for later chapters.

So, without further ado, here's chapter 44. I'm going to try and get 45 started ASAP.

* * *

**Chapter 44**

_Ergo, oceanus, maritimus  
Ergo, opacare, matutinus  
Ergo, septentrio, meridies  
Ergo, occidens et orientis_

(_Tempus Vernum_, A Day Without Rain, Enya)

It was swift yet graceful. The teeth broke the tender flesh on his neck yet no pain surged forth. The sharp pointed fangs broke through the tender flesh of his neck, into the large artery. He could feel his heart stop; his pulse instantly stopped. He could feel his blood trickling out; slowly, methodically. A tongue lashed over the open wound on his neck. It licked up the blood without seeming gluttonous.

His eyes were wide open; his pupils dilated. The world around him seemed to stop. He couldn't breathe nor move. He was paralysed from the shock of the oddly seductive bit. His body had surrendered itself to the other's touch; he was completely at the other's mercy. He saw nothing; all his senses had been shut down. He was simply a shell of a human.

The fangs were slowly withdrawn from the large artery in his throat. Blood continued to trickle out of the two puncture marks on his neck. A single, long slender finger touched the spot; he flinched inwardly yet showed no signs of being alive. He was alive but yet was dead. He was between life and death. His mind was swimming; he didn't know where he was. He couldn't see the long tunnel with the light but he couldn't see the world around him.

The hot breath of the other kin present brushed against his throat. That hot, sultry breath brushing against the open wound on his neck. It tickled oddly enough. Each breath was slow. Each breath was a breath of life against the tender, broken flesh of his neck; the pale flesh of his neck.

Slowly his vision returned to him.

The fangs were withdrawn slow, sensually.

His eyes came into focus. He blinked.

A tongue touched the open wound on his neck, gently cleaning up the blood.

They were on the ground; one held the other.

Blood still trickled out of the wound. The blood pulsed around the opening; throbbed. The body worked to clot the wound.

A minute passed and a wrist was held out in front of him.

A gentle, soothing voice instructed him, "just drink."

Drink blood; how strange. A weak albeit amused smirked crossed his lips. The suggestion was odd. He had never orally taken in blood before. This would seal his fate. He knew it would be the determining point in his life. This was the first coherent thought to cross his mind since he regained control of his senses and mind.

Warm, salty blood crossed his lips. The smooth life giving fluid soothed his sore throat. The tender flesh on his neck stopped throbbing. The blood flow stopped. The voices in his head stopped; the voices that followed him for over half his life. The voices that he heard in his nightmares. The voices that wouldn't let him do anything without distrusting all those involved.

It was surreal. The voices; the haunting memories of the voices seemed to disappear. Had the encounter with his sister all those years ago forced him to relive those bitter memories? To hear the voices. To be trapped in his own mind unable to cry for help.

He was released from the other's grasp.

On his own feet he stood.

His mind was lucid. He could see and think free of the voices. He could hear no voices. Except his own inner voice. The voice of his nagging conscience. 'No escaping it...'

He felt terribly light-headed for a moment as he stood a step forward.

Turning to Shen, he blinked.

"Are you all right, comrade?"

"I... I think so. Am I supposed to feel like this?"

"Explain."

"It's as though my senses are heightened. I'm light-headed. I feel delirious."

"The latter will pass. The prior are permanent."

"Oh."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"I need a moment to myself... I'm going to go for a walk..."

Shen nodded and watched as the other first teleported to the fringe of the forest that surrounded the ruins of the village then walked into the brush, eventually disappearing.

The cool rural air feels nice.

The sun is showing the signs of rising and yet it's still cool out.

Dew lines the ground; some dripping from the leaves.

Approaching an opening in the thicket, Shannon stopped suddenly hearing not one but two voices. Two voices in the middle of nowhere.

Deciding to get closer, he stood on the edge of the thicket, watching what appeared to be one person. He blinked but he swore he heard a second voice. Yet there was only one person here, Yui. She was alone. Talking to nothing? That's strange, he thought.

Leaning against a tree, he watched her for a minute, wondering why he heard two voices.

"...but... I mean, I don't know why. I... I guess I just panicked..." Yui said, her shouldered hitched. She was unaware that anyone else was listening in. When she fled from the scene after attacking Jonathan, she had ran into the forest eventually coming upon a river and sitting on a rock. She had been approached by the spirit of Suboshi who had witnessed the whole chain of events unfold. At first she had been sceptical but he talked her down to a calm level.

Unfortunately he had reduced her to tears. He hadn't meant to. This was as calm as he could get her. He hadn't meant for her to cry. He only wanted to find out why she was here. That much became apparent quickly. She had no control over her actions and now she was paying for it.

"Ah... uh...uhm..."

She choked back a sob. "I don't understand any of this. I hate this! I don't want to live like this anymore! Why can't I get him to say anything to me? I... I just want... you... him..."

"But you attacked him?"

"I don't know why! I couldn't stop my hand. Now... how can I face him? I'm responsible for hurting him. I never wanted it to be like this yet I can't get those thoughts out of my head. He's not you! It's you I want but I... I can't have you!"

"But... Yui-sama, if I was..."

"Taka was reincarnated and nothing changed! You were and...everything changed! I... I regret everything! I wish I could turn back time and stop you from going into battle! I would have never let you attack Miaka if I had known you would have died!"

A ghostly hand touched her face. It brushed over her face. It felt like a cool breeze against her tear stained cheeks. "Fate is something we cannot change."

"It could have been different if I had done the right thing and you and your brother wouldn't have suffered and he wouldn't hate me now." Yui cried. She had her legs pulled up tightly against her chest. "But I can't ignore the fact that he's not the same..."

"Maybe... maybe something happened so he's suppressing his other side?"

Yui glanced up. "What do you mean?"

"Here's what I'm thinking... something like... trauma?" He floated upside down, his eyes fixed on Yui.

"Trauma?"

"There's not much else that could explain it."

"Well, he never told me anything... and I've asked..."

"Try not asking."

"But."

There was a pause. "But what?"

"If I don't ask, he won't say anything! I want to help but how can I help him if he refuses to tell me what's wrong? It's not like I'm going to do anything to him if he tells me. I... I just think... I don't know. I... I just thought I could help him even if I don't understand. You know... be someone who can listen even if they can't offer up anything useful."

"Uhm...?"

"I just want him to open up to me... why won't he?"

"Uhm..."

"Yes?"

"You're not his brother. He probably only told the one person he was closest too and you're not the one he feels that spiritual closeness to. You're just a girl to him."

Her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" She bit out the words. "Just a girl?"

He shrugged. 'At least she can't hurt me...' he thought. He knew that tone and look. She was pissed at that comment and was going to let him have it. If he had been living, he would have thought twice about it. However, he knew he was safe. He was dead. She couldn't do anything to him.

"Well... you're not Seiryuu no Miko in your world, right? That and well, it has been a hundred years since then..."

"Even still. I did serve..."

"About that. Not that I don't care about you; I mean, I love you, Yui-sama... and, well, I think you're the hottest thing on two legs, it's just well... you kind of blew those three wishes and Kutou is still a smouldering pile of crap."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You saw the ruins beyond this forest, right?"

"Uh... it's the burn-out ruins that are overgrown, right?"

"That's my village. Or what remains of it."

Her stomach sank. She paled; all colour draining from her face. She felt ill. She couldn't remember ever being told anything about the country she had served. She had only seen the palace and the sheltered side. She had never ventured out to see the devastation or heard about any of the doings of the Kutou army.

"I... I..."

"No one ever told you, did they?"

"No."

"You could have asked."

Tears welled up in her eyes and fell freely. "I... I'm sorry!"

He shrugged. "I probably shouldn't have said all of that..." he mused.

She wiped away her tears, though they wouldn't stop. "No, I deserved to hear that. I messed up. You're just confirming what I already knew. I just didn't think it was that bad." She paused and glanced over at him. "Do you think that that resentment over my actions may have carried over?"

"It's quite possible. If it did, it could explain the lack of trust and why he won't tell you anything. Though..."

"Though what?"

Suboshi floated cross-legged in front of her. "I have another idea. Beyond the trust bit... I'm remembering something Seiryuu told me. When it came time for all of us to accept reincarnation, each of us were given an option. We could remain the same at the cost of our memories. We could eventually regain the memories but it would be a long road. But at the end of the day, we would be the same. Or we could choose to retain the memories. It included the powers, but if we did, we would no longer be the same. I know that Tamahome picked to remain the same for Suzaku no Miko..."

"What about you? The others?"

Yui stared intently at Suboshi. She wanted to know the truth. If she could understand him, maybe she could finally understand what she needed to do to break the protective barrier Shannon put around his soul. She was slowly putting the pieces together.

"Me? I... well, when I was given the chance... I opted to keep my memories..."

"Why?"

There was a moment of silence as Suboshi looked away then finally back at her. "I thought maybe if I was different, you'd actually like me and maybe give me a chance..."

"I love you the way you are!" Yui cried out, wanted to touch him. She reached out a hand. She knew it would pass through him. But she reached out anyway. "I was stupid! I never wanted you to change! I...love you."

"Yui-sama..." he breathed out. It had been the last thing he had thought he would ever hear.

"I... I was wrong! To think I could change Shannon. All because I was stupid enough to think you really came back..." tears continued to freely fall from her eyes. "All I wanted was just to say I'm sorry."

"If that were true, you'd have stop worrying about him a long time ago. Stop assuming we're two different people. I was reincarnated as him. Life just made him different because of a choice I made. Fate dictated the rest."

He then pointed to the long, winding river. "I now take my leave... someone's just come to visit me after a hundred years. It's time for an eternity to begin." He then leaned in. "You know... don't forget that even if he doesn't talk to you about what's bothering him, you should tell him if something is bothering you. Lead by example."

The spirit then floated out onto the river where another appeared.

The two reunited briefly before both vanishing into the mist.

Yui watched the two. It was strange. The one who attacked her earlier had died but that made no sense.

Nothing made much sense to her these days.

She sighed and pulled her legs into her chest.

Behind her a burst of light flashed. It was blue. As quickly as the light appeared, it dissipated and in its spot lay a small dragon-like creature. She had caught the flash of light out of the corner of her eye.

_Elsewhere; Aoisora_...

The first bit had gone smoothly. With the package under arm, Katsui had been able to slip past the guards who were currently on duty in the dungeon due to Ariboshi's 'distraction'. He had let her go first. Once she had their attention, she waved him past. He didn't need to get the key from any of the guards. He had the lock picks he had acquired earlier.

He placed the bundle on the cobble stone floor of the dark prison. From the folds of his tunic he removed the pick. He had decided against calling out to Meike at this time. He didn't want to draw any attention to them. He wanted to operate quietly. He made a decision to speak to her after he got into the cell.

Once in, he called out to her.

She had walked over and embraced him; crying.

He couldn't do much except return the embrace. He then put distance between them and explain to her that there wasn't much time. He and Ariboshi were going to spring her. She wept happily and he sighed. Why did girls cry all the time?

When he was sure she was done with the water works, he instructed her to strip while he kept his back to her.

Misconstruing his intentions, Meike slapped him across the face.

That set the plan back a few minutes as he struggled to recover from the shock. Though, that was the least of their problems. As when he did manage to explain to her why she needed to strip, and was topless, she began to spontaneously bleed everywhere.

Katsui found himself rushing to calm her down.

But he found it difficult under the current circumstances. They could be discovered at any minute especially if Ariboshi got overwhelmed from environmental stimuli. He had little choice but to move Meike to the back of the cell. Luckily it was deep enough that they could conceal themselves in the partial darkness as he calmed her before stopping the blood.

He touched a hand to her side. It was strange. The cut had just appeared out of nowhere.

He wondered if his healing touch could even do anything.

He hovered his fingers over the wound. A golden light surrounded his fingers.

The blood stopped then the wound closed. There was no scar. He touched the smooth skin where the wound had been. He watched her expression.

"Are you all right?"

"I... I think so."

Katsui trusted her. Her eyes betrayed no pain. The eyes were the trusted source. If they showed pain, he'd have known if she was lying to him.

He took the clothing she handed to him and placed it neatly while handing her the local costume. He handed her the leggings and tunic first, noting it was practical, similar to what many of the merchant daughter's wore.

She handed him the shirt she had been wearing and donned the pants followed by the tunic. It came down past her knees. The sleeves were long and flared. She shifted the fabric around her shoulder while Katsui folded her shirt then handed her the sash.

After shifting her tunic, Meike took the sash and wrapped it around her slender waist before tying it off on the left hip. It was easier for her being left-handed and all. Pulling on the fabric, she adjusted it so it felt right. She then fixed the bra strap on her right shoulder that kept slipping down.

She slipped her feet into the shoes but scowled, "_merde_!"

Her feet were much too large for the shoes that had been supplied to her by the merchant and instead opted to wear the sandals she had been wearing when she had arrived in this world.

She turned to Katsui who finished putting her clothing into the cloth sack he had brought with him. She nodded at him and nodding at her, he stood up and went over to the door for the cell and glanced out, checking both ways. He could see Ariboshi keeping the two guards busy. A glance in the other direction, though not needed, revealed a dead end. There was no one worth noting in that direction.

He stepped over to her and whispered, "you need to stay right behind me. Act very casual. Just follow me. I have a plan."

"So, keep it low and stealthy? Can do." Meike gave a mock salute, to which Katsui felt a twinge of irritation.

"Please, I'm asking you nicely, Meike-sama." Katsui snivelled in a hushed voice. "I need you to not—"

"Geez, don't get your knickers in a bunch. I won't do anything retarded. Lay off."

He sighed. He wanted to retort but now was not the time for a petty squabble. He ignored the tone of her last remark and stepped back to the door, once more scrutinising the vicinity.

'It's clear.' He noted.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Katsui made a quick motioning gesture, indication for Meike to follow him. He intended to lead her out to a small, well hidden exit he and Ariboshi had set up earlier. He trusted Ariboshi to find her own way. He would escort Meike to the rendezvous point.

His reasoning behind it was, he thought the sight of what would appear to be two average looking local citizens would protect them while they walked through the main thoroughfare. Essentially allowing them to walk in public without raising scepticism. Long enough for them to make contact with their escape route out of town. Under cover of night would allow him to move the fastest with her.

He wouldn't feel so confident with his plan if he didn't feel she would hold back. She was rather masculine and had the strength and grit of a warrior. It would make their escape easier.

Setting foot out the cell, he motioned forward without glancing back and led Meike out of the cell. She moved quickly upon seeing the gesture. She remained on his heels as they smoothly and deliberately ambled nonchalantly passed the two oblivious guards.

Ariboshi didn't look up as the two walked past, though her eyes moved to the corners. She caught the faintest of silhouettes in her vision. She heard them approaching, so she knew where to 'look'. A certain delightful glee danced across her face. As if to say, "_I am the master of your mind_. _I am the puppet master; dance for me my pretty_."

Katsui noted that expression immediately. She held her audience's mind captive. Literally. She was the definition of enthrallment. He couldn't begin to imagine what she was projecting into their minds. He had been at her mercy once. He could remember the experience vividly. He didn't get hurt but the thought alone of losing his free will like that and so easily to another sent shivers of dread through his body when he saw that expression.

He made a point of picking up his pace. He didn't want to lurk around while she played puppet master to some poor victim who had no ability to counter her attack.

He led Meike to the exit for the dungeon.

Stopping, he pressed his back against the wall and found her doing the same. He felt a sigh of relief escape him. She knew how to follow instructions. This would make it just that much easier.

He skulked, keeping his back pressed to the wall. He stole a glance around the corner. Noting that the path was clear, he nodded at Meike and they pressed forward. He had made a point in learning his escape route and studying the movement of the guards beforehand. He would have winged it except for the fact that Ariboshi made him do it her way.

He had briefly lost his mental will to her then. He had decided that he would rather listen to her than be manipulated into following her instructions.

He stopped as Meike stepped beside him.

"Ok, from this point, I need you to walk next to me." He told her. He didn't know if it was a good idea for her to follow him from behind. He wanted to make it look natural.

"Got you." She replied as they walked forward. She didn't know where they were going but she wasn't going to complain. She trusted Katsui and knew that he was on her side. She wasn't going to bite the hand that freed her from her unjust imprisonment.

Reaching over, Katsui took her hand in his. It was the easiest way to stay together. He couldn't afford to lose her, and having his hand hold hers would make it easier if they had to run. He would be able to run without having to worry about her falling too far behind.

He gulped as a shadow crossed his path.

'Oh shit! This is it! I should have listened to Ariboshi!' Katsui thought, sweating profusely.

He then heard what sounded like several giggles.

He sighed in relief. It was just the emperor's harem heading in the direction of the emperor's secondary chamber. These girls were the top of the line. The finest looking women in Kousei. That was about it. He considered them to be ill-bred amoral girls he would never touch or want to father his children. It was strange. He heard other men talk about their desire and lust to father a child by the emperor's concubine; to sire an heir that was the finest looking in the land, yet the girls were vapid airheads.

At least the ones the emperor didn't cast aside like some soiled, used and very broken toy. These girls wound up jaded and bitter. They were some of the most notoriously vicious women in the land. They wound up joining a society of outcasts that lived in the country side. They had come from the first emperor's harem.

To sustain themselves, the women banded together. They gain notoriety by being an only-female tribe. They patrolled the road less travelled by merchants. The only merchants brave enough to venture there were women who went on behalf of their husband. Commerce was done like this. Life was done like this.

The women ran a true matriarch society, where no man had any power.

The men that were gutless enough to think they could go in and come out alive found themselves subject to the women's fury. A hatred fuelled by hundreds of years of a simple tale that got spun intricately with each generation.

Katsui only knew of this because of Ariboshi, his dearest friend. A woman he had met several years ago.

While Ariboshi was a girl, she possessed male characteristics, making her androgynous. She had been shunned from her society after many years. Her blindness was seen as a hindrance. Though it had been hidden for a number of years by her mother.

She had been cast out on the eve of her eleventh birthday. She had been told to run and if she made it, she would be free but if she ever step foot back in the tribal region, she would be drawn and quartered. Her life would be snuffed out in an instant.

He wondered, as he watched the gaggle of vapid girls stream by – there were five of them – what the consequences for this escape would be. If it would be as gruesome as the fate that awaited Ariboshi should she ever return to her tribal region.

The emperor must be feeling exceptionally lustful tonight, Katsui reasoned. Especially since the dowager empress was considered to be 'unclean' for three weeks following the birth of the heir.

Once the last of the girls, one he noted to appear less attractive than the others, 'obviously she's not going to last long.' He thought, as she wandered past, he gave a short tug on Meike's, indicating for her to follow him. They were almost at the exit at this point.

He didn't know how many more surprises he could take tonight. Maybe if she hadn't begin to spontaneously bleed earlier, his frazzled nerves wouldn't be on edge. Then again, trying to escape with the emperor's army on duty was enough to fry even the most steel of nerves.

Each time they got to a corner, Katsui felt his pulse pick up. He could hear the beat of his heart in his ears. His breath grew short; his chest tense. He was taking great risks and without the best of weapons at his disposal. All he had was his healing touch. He knew he wasn't the best of fighters. Sure he could handle a staff with amazing grace but it was all smoke and mirrors.

After turning another corner because he kept seeing shadows, Katsui sighed, immensely relieved. He couldn't believe it. It was the exit. They made it. They had arrived at the exit for the palace. The hardest part was nearly over...

_Back in the other world..._

The remains of the history room had been left in their wake. The group had decided against lurking around. They had an unconscious girl with them, a cat who insisted on riding on someone's shoulders and a "special" book that was now starting to glow, much to their dismay. It hadn't glowed before, but this time around, it was.

Trying to conceal the glowing book during a traffic stop was not an easy feat. It was easier for Keisuke to explain to the nice police officer who had pulled Tetsuya over for 'breaking the sound barrier' that it was just his younger sister taking a nap in the back seat. She had fainted during school due to a slight fever and they were bringing her home.

Tetsuya secretly thanked his lucky stars the officer didn't question him about the cat, though was asking many questions about the glowing item that was on the floor by Keisuke's feet.

The officer leaned against the window. "Kajiwara, I'm not going to repeat myself, what is that damn thing on the floor?"

"A glowing book?" Tetsuya replied stupidly. What else was he supposed to say? He shrugged and sank sheepishly into the driver's seat.

The officer raised an eyebrow, muttered something then hastily scribbled a ticket and handed it to Tetsuya before returning the young man's driver's license and registration.

Meekly accepting it, Tetsuya kept it face down and slipped it over to Keisuke.

"What's the damage?"

"Five hundred and thirty Yen."

Tetsuya took it back.

In nearly illegible writing was the fine. He could see that clear as day.

"Damnit."

"I told you not to drive so fast." Michiko remarked smoothly. She was sitting in the back seat holding an unconscious Miaka.

"Don't nag me!" Tetsuya retorted. It was bad enough he had this fine to pay without some woman nagging him on his driving skills.

"I wouldn't nag you if you didn't deserve it."

"I don't! And I could just leave you to walk!"

Michiko pulled out a dagger. She drove it with force into the upholstery of the driver's see. "Watch it. You're one step away from crossing the line. Now, drive like a nice boy and no one gets hurt."

"Crazy Yakuza bitch..." Tetsuya muttered under his breath as he rolled up the window and put the car into drive.

Lightening nipped at the back of his neck. "Be nice or I'll crispy fry you." She sang sweetly, though there was a certain undertone of malice.

If he didn't need her help, he wouldn't have allowed her to come along...


	47. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

_Wind  
In my hair  
Shifting and drifting  
Mechanical music  
Adrenaline surge..._

(_Red Barchetta_, Moving Pictures, Rush)

Keisuke could feel a headache coming on. His temples throbbed. Rubbing them didn't help much in light of the back and forth arguing between Michiko and Tetsuya. It was like that from the time Tetsuya had got the ticket for speeding – his first one ever; and he wasn't about to let anyone forget it – until they got to the Yuuki household. It had been decided that taking Miaka home and surrounding her with familiar settings after the attack would be the best idea.

He had called ahead to ensure that their mother wasn't there. He knew she had said something about visiting her youngest sister in Kyoto, but he couldn't remember how long she would be staying there. A quick long distance phone call on his cell phone quickly resolved that question. Their mother was indeed staying out of town for a while. It seemed her sister had a nervous breakdown; the husband had left her and the sister had five children to care for.

He couldn't help but to smile as he listen to his mother speak. She sounded like she had taken charge the second she stepped in the door. She had turned away from the phone to yell at two of his cousins who were fighting over the remote control. She sighed and returned her attention back to him and asked him to ensure Miaka kept up with her studies while she was gone.

He gave her affirmation that he would make sure Miaka didn't fall behind.

It was then his mother informed him she was going to need him to bring her more of her clothes. Staying for a week was out of the question, she was going have to stay a lot longer. She had already made arrangements to work out of her company's office in Kyoto so she could stay near her sister until her sister got her act together.

He snickered as he listen to his mother use rather colourful language to describe his aunt as a lethargic blight on society; a layabout who was mooching off the system and couldn't be arsed to do something for herself.

Keisuke couldn't hold this against his mother. She had been a strong woman. When her husband had left, she had immediately acquired divorce papers and made it well known she didn't need his support and promptly took on work hours that were typically expected of men. This left Keisuke to care for Miaka. Though, they did see their mother for dinner every night. She was home on the weekend. She didn't travel. It made up for her long work hours.

Finally hanging up his cell phone as they approached the apartment, Keisuke returned it to the clip on his pants and unbuckled his seat belt as Tetsuya pulled into the parking lot, promptly taking up two spaces. He always did. No one bothered to try and tell him not to. The efforts would be futile.

Opening the door, he blinked as the cat jumped out and turned around, blinking at him.

Why couldn't be associate with nice, normal people? Why did everyone he knew have to be weird?

He watched Michiko climb out of the back seat holding Miaka.

She was pretty; nay, attractive. She was possibly one of the best looking girl he ever laid eyes upon. He could see how she could easily be into power. That much physical beauty could easily command power.

He was drawn out of his stare as he felt something climbing his leg. It was Tama. The cat dig its claws into Keisuke's jeans as it deftly climbed up the leg, eventually coming to rest on his shoulder. Once satisfied, the cat pointed toward the building and meowed as if to say, "forward march!"

The cat was really something else. It was strange to think that the cat was really a human who happened to be the parent of three people he was acquainted with; one of which was now the new miko. The cat had the capacity to be in its human form, yet seemed to prefer to be in cat form. It made communication difficult, though it surely entertained the cat.

Tama, perched happily, and purring, on Keisuke's shoulders gazed around serenely. It didn't dig its claws in; something Keisuke was inwardly grateful for. If the cat was, the cat would have no doubt been thrown off and left to walk on the ground or find another way of getting around.

'Why doesn't he just take on a bird form and fly…?' Keisuke wondered to himself as the group walked up the outside stairs to the apartment. 'I wouldn't have to carry it.'

Upon entering, Tetsuya yelped, dropping the book he had been carrying. A light shot out from the book. It wasn't the same light that had taken in Meike. It was the light that had grabbed Miaka once upon a time, and it was once again aiming for her. Not about to be left behind, Tetsuya grabbed onto Michiko, who held Miaka. Michiko could only stand there stunned by the sudden turn of events.

The cat jumped down from Keisuke's shoulder, and jumped into the light, which then vanished back into the book. The brilliant, crimson red light faded out as fast it as it appeared. Keisuke once again couldn't only stare dumbfounded at the book. It took a minute for it to sink in before he realised, he had missed his chance to go. Everyone, including that cat, got to go. He was once again going to be outside looking in. He was only an observer.

He slowly reached down and picked up the book, gingerly turning to where the newest batch of text was manifesting itself on the page and began to read. The last thing he had remembered was that there was some strange individual with strange powers that had encountered the twins, Yui and someone by the name of Houjun. The stranger's name had been Shen and according to the text was something of a demon hybrid, half _kitsune_, and half _kyuuketsuki_. From the way the events unfolded, Keisuke's instincts told him that this Shen fellow was hiding something of greater value.

What puzzled Keisuke the most was the interest Shen had shown in Shannon. Why had the demon chosen Shannon? The text never made it clear. After there had been an exchange of words, followed by a strange, foreign language appeared on the page. It appeared to be a dead language. It was only momentary before it went back to the character set that Keisuke recognised.

The events tapered off, with the group, minus the stranger, heading toward Konan in order to eventually arrive in Kousei. There had been little mention of Meike since she had made her daring escape with the aid of Katsui and Ariboshi. The last he had read she had found the house where the meeting was to take place. Tetsuya had taken over reading at that point. Tetsuya hadn't finished bringing him up to date when the attack happened at the university.

Being the sole reader and observer left, Keisuke found himself madly backtracking in the book in order to find out what had previously happened that hadn't been succinctly summarised for him by Tetsuya. It took a few more minutes that he thought, but satisfied he knew what had happened to this point, he turned back to the book, surprised to find its focus now on Miaka and her entourage.

_The priestess and her group were stunned to find themselves in a small village. They got odd stares from the local people. They were unable to move as the locals moved around them. The leader of the group was hostile toward them, and brandished a pitchfork in the direction of the man wearing shades._

Tetsuya grinned sheepishly, holding his hands up. "Look...we're not demons or any—"

"Shut yer face! We don't wanna hear it! Yer one of them you is!" The young man growled as he thrust the pitchfork threateningly at Tetsuya, who whimpered and backed up, standing closer to Michiko. "Help me!" he whispered plaintively.

She groaned, handed him Miaka and stepped forward. She balled her right hand into a fist. "All right, which one of you morons wants to eat lightening?" Electricity crackled around her hand. She pointed her hand at the young man. "You! You are ready to fight!"

The young man took a step back, but didn't appear to show any sign of letting up.

He kept his aggressive stand up and hoisted up the pitchfork.

At that moment, fire ignited, flying between the two groups.

"Back off now, Ren. They ain't a threat. You and your asshole friends are the trouble makers, now get before I sending you crying back to mama!" a raspy, aged voice boomed. The owner of the voice stood just beyond where the fire originated from.

The man walked forward. He was quite elderly. He had long, mangy hair. It fell in his face. He wore a faded, well fitted tunic. In his hand, he held a large metal fan. Despite his aged stature, he still had something of a presence.

Michiko unclenched her fist. The cat tilted its head then took on his regular human form, and Tetsuya whimpered. He was already questioning his reason for coming here. He had acted on impulse, and hadn't coherently considered the consequences of his actions.

The others that had been lurking around, left with the young man. This left the elderly man with the newcomers, who he regarded passively. He walked toward the group, eventually stopping in front of Tetsuya, who held Miaka. The elderly man eyed her then glanced up at Tetsuya.

"Where's Tamahome?"

"Oh god no..." Michiko muttered under her breath.

"I thought there was something familiar about his chi..." Kieran mused, chuckling to him. He smirked, his blue eyes twinkling.

The elderly man grunted. "Why'd you bring _him_ with you?" He thumbed in Kieran's direction.

Kieran arched an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?" He tilted his head. "Do you wish for me to be in a form you recognise, Tasuki?"

The elderly man glared hard at Kieran. "You wanna start a fight you're gonna lose?"

Kieran chuckled softly. "You are not any kind of threat. The tessan is just a fan. When you can hurl random objects at me while snarling obscenities in my mother language then I will take notice." He patted Genrou condescendingly on the cheek. "Until then, I will just enjoy the fact that you aren't my eldest son who if he had his way would disembowel me with a mere glance."

Genrou raised the tessen and entered a battle stance.

Kieran grinned gleefully and turned back into a cat. He blinked at Genrou and meowed.

Genrou blinked stupidly; where had the other man gone. He glanced down, notcing a cat. "There's a cat??" He poked Tama with the tessen and the cat indignantly meowed and swatted the tessen with a paw.

Michiko smirked. "You've mistaken Amefuri for one of the twins."

"Huh?" Genrou glanced up and over at Michiko. His expression went from confused to hostile in a microsecond. "Another one of you? Goddamnit! How many morons are there?" he snarled, which fingers curling tightly around the handle of the tessen.

"Just me. I don't know where the others are, and the cat is Byakko Seishi Amefuri... and one of the longest living Seishi. He outlived the Genbu and Byakko Seishi."

The cat nodded and immediately took on its human form again. He smiled friendly. "Well, it's not so much that I outlived them. I would have been sharing my time with Iname if she hadn't gone off the deep end thanks to her blood curse." He added a matter-of-fact. He finished with a short, curt nod.

Michiko sighed. "Does that really matter? She's a psychopath anyway. I would not want to be near her ever. I value my life far too much."

Genrou who had been previously in an aggressive stance, stumbled back. He wasn't used to people who changed form on whim so efficiently. Then again, it had been years since Houjun had done it. Consequently, he had lost his immunity to this kind of impulsive behaviour. He had assumed that shape-shifting wasn't a commonly given power to Seishi, and that Houjun had been the only one to receive it.

"You...you're Tama?" Genrou squeaked. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that the cat was more human than any of them ever thought.

Kieran placed his hands on his hips and cockily inclined his head. He smirked, the crows' feet in the corners of his eyes notable. He chortled. "You're just—"He was promptly cut off as a rope manifested around him, constricted immediately and knocked him to the ground.

A triumphant "Hah!" was heard from behind. "Told you I could and he would never know!"

"I didn't know you were good with a rope."

"If you paid attention more, you'd know."

"Maybe if you didn't purposely hide everything from me, I'd know!"

"It's not like I am. You can read my mind at any time, Koutoku."

"You bitched at me the last time I did."

"That's because you were filling my head with your gutter-minded non-sense."

"I can't help it when I'm around you."

"It's called 'censoring' your thoughts; try it some time."

"I thought you would have appreciated knowing just what I was thinking and feeling." There was a pause. "Like now, aren't you just _dying_ to know?"

"Not when you talk to me like that."

"How would you prefer it, dirty? Because I like dirty…"

"Don't…even… go there."

Kieran groaned and sighed, briefly lifting his head from the ground. "I hate my children..." he dropped it, resigning himself to the fact that if he was to get out of it, he would have to catch Shannon off guard.

Genrou smirked. "I don't pity you one bit." He hoisted his tessen up and returned it to its holster on his back.

Kieran groaned. He hadn't anticipated any of this; and at the moment was at the mercy of his eldest son's whim. Something he didn't enjoy, ever. He could shape-shift his way out of it, but it wouldn't change the current odds. He was at a clear disadvantage. He resigned to being inconvenienced for the short term.

At that moment, a female voice broke through. Distress was obvious. "Miaka!" Yui cried out, running over to the group. She hadn't noticed immediately but when she did, she felt her stomach knot up. She knelt next to her friend who was being held by Tetsuya. Her blue eyes filled with tears. "What happened?"

"Taka happened…" Tetsuya whispered; his voice barely audible.

"What?" she gasped out incredulously.

"I don't know who he was after, but he attacked the room, taking out a good chunk of wall. I'm guessing Miaka was either the intended target or just collateral damage for him. He showed no remorse." Tetsuya hissed scathingly under his breath.

"Was anyone else hurt?" Yui asked frantically.

He shook his head. "No. Not as far as I know. Keisuke, Michiko and I were there as well, but didn't suffer any injury."

Her expression turned from shock and dismay to one of sadness. "Why…"

Silence fell as Genrou walked over to where the three were. He too knelt. "Poor kid…" he lamented, and glanced up at Tetsuya. "You said… 'Taka happened'…?"

"Yes…"

Genrou's lip curled into a sneer. "If I ever meet this… 'Taka', he will pay for this."

Keisuke glanced up. He thought he heard something. He looked around, searching for the source of the noise. His eyes narrowed. He knew he had heard something.

His eyes moved to the window. It was opened. He hadn't imagined it; he had heard a noise. He stood up quickly. "Who's there?"

Two men walked around to face him. The first hand out a professionally manicured hand; the nails were long. He made a simple gesture and spoke in a foreign language. The only think Keisuke understood was the use of his name, but even then, that was questionable.

The man's hand again gestured in the direction of the book. His gaze was steady. Keisuke kept his eyes trained on those golden eyes. There was something eerily familiar about this person...

His partner stepped forward. He man spoke Japanese, but he had an obvious Chinese accent on it. "You will surrender the book to us, Yuuki."

"No!" Keisuke turned sharply and clutched the book to his chest.

The first turned to the second and asked something. Keisuke sighed; he hated when people conferred with each other in foreign languages. There was one thing that caught his ear, the mention of Shannon's surname.

He arched an eyebrow and addressed the one who spoke Japanese. "What do you want with O'Kelly?"

"He gave us instructions to rendez-vous." The man replied. He reached up, tucking loose strands of chocolate brown hair behind his ears.

"In the book?"

"Indeed."

The other hand out his hand to reach for the book; Keisuke pulled back. "Why should I give it to you? I don't either of you!"

The golden-eyed man rolled his eyes and sighed. He muttered something that appeared to be an insult.

"No, I don't speak Italian, so don't expect me to translate, Yuuki." The brown-haired man remarked, turning his gaze to Keisuke. He then held out his hand. "It would be in your interest to just give the book. We won't be taking it with us."

"I am not doing it until I know who..." Keisuke was cut off. His arms were pulled out. The book fell to the ground. He was being held down by vines. He panicked, struggling against the vines. "Let me go!"

He was furious.

The golden-eyed man smirked and cackled. In his hand was a small shell. A soft blue light emanated from it.

"Don't bother, Yuuki. You won't get out of it." The brown-haired man replied, as he knelt, reaching for the book. Gingerly picking it up, his fingers caressed the cover, before turning the page. Flipping through the book nonchalantly, he calmly sought out the last place where the tale left off and handed it to his colleague.

"Who...who are you?" Keisuke demanded, his voice quivering.

The brown-haired man holding the book glanced at Keisuke. "We are colleagues of O'Kelly and Anderson. We are expected to rendez-vous in order to secure the last pillar."

The golden-eyed man snorted derisively, and made a callous remark, to which the brown-haired man sighed in reply. He gave a response, but it didn't seem to have any affect.

"If you're working with them, why didn't you just tell me what I wanted to know?" Keisuke spat, struggling against the restraints.

The golden eyed man smirked.

His companion sighed and rolled his eyes. "Don't struggle; you'll only make it worse." He paused then added. "We were told to just take the book from you; we were given no instruction as to being able to trust you."

Keisuke stubbornly pulled on the vines. His sights were dead set on the book. He wasn't about to let it get away. He wasn't about to give into this.

A sudden spark of inspiration of struck him. 'I wonder...' He glanced around and immediately ceased his struggle and relaxed. His mind remained alert.

He feigned resignation and dropped his head. "Do what you will..." he whispered.

"It will only take a moment." The brown-haired man assured him. Keisuke was certain he detected a hint of condescending derision in the man's voice.

The two men turned away from him, and he took that as his cue. There was a trick once used by another person who had once been in his position, trapped by the same vines. Keisuke strained against the holds but was sure he could do it. He lifted his hands to each other. Taking the pinkie of his left hand in his right bent it back as far as it would go.

He bit his lip, attempting to stifle any noise. His teeth cut through the flesh; a slight trickle of blood shimmered. His attempt quickly proved to not be in vain.

Giving little if any thought to his next course of action, he flung himself, tackling the golden-eyed man to the ground. He aggressively attacked the man, grabbing him by the charcoal black hair and lifting the head, so he could drive his fist into the man's face. Blood dripped from the man's nose.

The attack lasted mere seconds before Keisuke felt the cold tip of what would be a sword pressed against the base of his neck.

"You are audacious, Yuuki."

Keisuke glowered at the man. He wasn't about to let these people take the book…

"You know, O'Kelly did say to properly introduce ourselves, no da…" a third voice remarked. It belonged to a man of fair height. He had spiky blue hair and long bangs. His lips were trapped in what seemed like permanent smile. The man spoke with an air of elegance. His English was flawless; the accent was melodic. "This is exactly what he told us not to do. In fact, no da, he said that we were to introduce ourselves to Mr. Yuuki here and tell him what is going on."

The two other men turned to their colleague. Neither appeared to completely understand what had been spoken but appeared to pick up on key words. It was enough to make it easier for the third man to approach Keisuke, who was regarding the newcomer with immense distrust.

The third man walked over. He placed his hand on the sword, forcing his colleague to lower it. Once the sword was away, he held out a hand to Keisuke. "Please forgive us, no da. I am Winchester Richard."

More relieved than anything to see a friendly face, Keisuke took the hand that was held out to him. He was promptly helped to his feet by the ever-smiling Richard; a man with a sunny disposition. He was quite different than the other two.

Richard gestured at his companions. "The sword wielding gentleman is Andy Won and his non-English speaking friend is Marius Bartecelli, no da." He nodded with a smile, and added as an aside, "They aren't happy about taking instructions from someone who lacks their social status, no da."

Keisuke nodded meekly and glanced back toward Richard. "What did you need?" His English was heavily accented but he mostly comprehended what Richard had been saying.

"We only need to borrow the book for about thirty seconds, no da." Richard explained calmly, reaching for a cellphone clipped to his belt. "I just need to confirm one thing, no da."

Keisuke arched an eyebrow.

Andy kept his sword out. Marius seemed bored suddenly.

Richard pressed a key and held up the phone. There was a moment of silence. He smiled. "It's ringing, no da." He announced.

Keisuke shrugged. "So?" Why would it matter if the phone was ringing?

Richard pointed to the book. "Look." He instructed.

Finding it strange, Keisuke slowly picked up the book.

It was then he heard Richard speak. "Ah good, I was wondering if you'd pick up, no da."

"_Huh, so it works…_"

"Yes it does no da."

"_Are Bartecelli and Won with you?_"

"Yes they are no da."

"_Tell them not to hurt Keisuke._"

"That might be too late…"

"_What fucking assholes._"

Richard smiled. "They don't like taking instructions from you."

"_Well, that's just fucking tough. Do you have the book?_"

"Mr. Yuuki has it, no da."

"_So, he's seeing this?_"

Richard glanced over at Keisuke who seemed to be in shock. He just sat, clutching the book; the conversation as it was being spoken was appearing on the page. A small amused smile crossed his lips. "Yes he is no da, and he doesn't know what to make of it."

"_Ask him what the hell happened to Miaka. She's unconscious. Taka's being weird, and for some reason… ah! Fucking son of a bitch!_"

Richard's expression became concerned; there sounded like there was a struggle happening on the other end of the phone. "What's wrong?" His tone inflected to reflect the concern that danced across his face.

Before his colleague could answer, in the background he heard what sounded like, "_leeka shinen!_"

There was only one person who would use such an incantation. He couldn't stay here, not mow. "Hold on! We're coming!"

"_Don't! Stay there! We've already lost Tereskova; we can't lose anyone else!_"

There was another loud curse. Followed by the sound of crashing and what sounded like quickly moving footsteps. There was another sound in the background; the sound of fire crackling.

"We're coming! We're not letting you fight alone, no da!"

"_I gave you instruct—fuck!_"

"Tasuki's going to try and kill you!"

There was no reply for a moment; all he heard was the sound of a growing fight. It had grown; there was more than one Seishi fighting now. Worried, Richard turned to Keisuke. He pulled the phone away from his ear, gazing at it for a moment. He was about to request a translation, but it dawned on him. He flipped it shut; turned to Marius and Andy, barking instructions in Russian. He then aggressively seized the book from a still stunned Keisuke, took it over to the other two, who placed their hands on it. Almost instantly the three vanished and the book fell to the floor.


End file.
